Nanny Wanted
by miscard
Summary: Set eight years after finishing their schooling, Hermione Granger answers an ad to be a Nanny for a High Society family. Working as a nanny for Harry Potter she learns that she is in danger of falling in love with not only his kids, but with Harry too.
1. The Beginning

Hermione Granger looked at the piece of paper in her hand again and looked at the spacious manse that loomed before her. "_Wanted: a live-in nanny to care for my two children. Well known family looking for someone who knows how to be discreet. Please call for interview 05496 876203 and ask for Harry_," she read aloud to herself, then looked up to take in the sprawling estate in front of her. "Very well known if the security gates and guards are any indication."

She walked up to the big man standing in the guard house to the right of the gates and said, "Hello, my name is Hermione Granger and I have a one o'clock interview with Harry."

She watched as the man looked over a list that was attached to a clipboard and said, "Right then, go on in." He opened a door that was behind him in the guard house and motioned for her to walk through.

As she walked up the driveway to the front door she took a deep breath and quietly muttered, "Okay Hermione, you can do this...you need this job." Taking one last relaxing breath, Hermione rang the doorbell next to the huge door and waited for someone to answer.

About two seconds later a woman dressed in a formal skirt and dress shirt answered the door and asked, "Hello, may I help you?"

"Hi, my name is Hermione Granger and I'm here to interview for the Nanny position," she answered with a friendly smile.

"Please come in," the woman said, gesturing toward the giant entryway. Hermione followed her inside and into a beautifully decorated sitting room. The furniture was obviously expensive and the couch and chair were lush and looked very comfortable. Hermione sat in the chair and the woman asked, "Would you like some tea Miss Granger?"

"Yes, please," Hermione answered politely and smiled back at the friendly smile the woman gave her. When the woman brought back her tea she said, "Thank you Miss...?"

"Miss Bradley," the woman answered, "I'm the resident maidservant. Someone will be with you shortly."

Hermione smiled and nodded in acknowledgement and then watched as Miss Bradley walked out of the room. She looked around at the paintings that adorned the walls and the bookcase full of books. Unable to tamp down her curiosity and love of books, she made her way over to it and read over all the titles, noting that there were many there that she hadn't yet read.

"Who are you?" came a small voice behind her, startling her.

When she turned around she saw a small girl with blond hair and bright green eyes staring at her curiously. "My name is Hermione," she replied with a smile, "What's yours?"

"I'm Lily," the little girl answered, "Why are you here Her-Herm..."

"Hermione," she repeated, tickled that the little girl was trying so hard to say her name. She couldn't have been more than three and her speech seemed to be advanced for her age. "I'm here because I heard that a Nanny was needed."

"Oh," Lily said, "You mean you're a nanny? You look really young."

"I'm twenty-five," Hermione answered, liking the girl immediately, "I guess I am still young, aren't I? How old are you?"

"I'm four," Lily replied, surprising Hermione. This girl looked very small and frail for a four year old.

Before she could ask Lily anymore questions, a woman with bright red hair walked into the room and asked, "Miss Granger, I presume?"

"Yes," Hermione answered, trying not to laugh when Lily rolled her eyes as she saw the woman.

"I'm Ginny Weasley," the woman answered, "The lady of the house, or soon-to-be lady of the house I should say." Hermione inwardly cringed at the falsely sweet smile Ginny was giving her and really disliked her when she turned to Lily and not-so-nicely said, "Aren't you supposed to be playing upstairs in your room?"

"Yes, but I got hungry," Lily answered defiantly.

"LISA!" Ginny shouted loudly, causing Hermione to jump in surprise.

Miss Bradley came hustling into the room and asked, "Yes Miss Weasley?"

"Please take Lily into the kitchen and feed her something," Ginny ordered with a dismissive wave of her hand and an annoyed look on her face.

Hermione watched as Miss Bradley held her hand out to Lily and the little girl took it immediately. Before leaving the room Lily turned and said, "Bye-bye Hermy."

"Bye," Hermione replied, liking the girl immensely and silently laughing at the child's inability to say her name.

"Please have a seat," Ginny said, not really asking but demanding, "My fiance will be in shortly to start the interview."

Hermione sat in the chair once again, disliking Miss Weasley for her high-handed treatment of Miss Bradley and especially the way she had treated Lily. It was obvious that Miss Weasley thought of the child as a nuisance and not worth her time.

"Miss Granger?" a deep male voice asked, startling Hermione from her thoughts. When she looked up she gasped and asked, "Harry P-Potter?"

Harry laughed good naturedly at the shocked look on her face and replied, "That would be me."

"I'm sorry Sir, that was very unprofessional of me," Hermione said, mortified by her reaction.

"Don't worry about it Miss Granger, you're not the first person to react that way," Harry said, giving her a friendly smile. "Do you have your references?"

"Oh, right here Sir," Hermione replied, handing him two pieces of paper. She watched nervously as he read over them and tried to hide the fact that she wanted to work for him badly. She had taken immediately to Lily, and the child seemed to like her to, and the fact that Harry Potter would be her employer was a major bonus.

"Your resume is impeccable," Harry said, "You've worked for two very prominent families before, so I don't think that I would have to worry about discretion on your part."

"No Sir," Hermione answered, "If you hire me I will only have the best interest of your children in mind."

"Please call me Harry, you make me feel very old by calling me Sir," he said, causing her to smile. "Now, when would you be able to start?"

"I could start in two days. I would just need time to get a few things in order first."

"Okay then, Miss Granger, I'll be making my decision tonight and if you are chosen for the job I will contact you tomorrow," Harry said, standing up from the chair.

Hermione stood up also and followed him into the entryway. As she shook his hand, Miss Bradley walked up and asked, "May I call you a cab Miss Granger?"

"Yes please," Hermione replied. With a final farewell to Harry she made her way for the door.

Lily had walked out of the kitchen and seeing that Hermione was leaving, she ran up to Harry and tugged on the bottom of his shirt. "Daddy," she said in a loud whisper, "Daddy, I want her to be my nanny. She's nice and I like her."

"And how do you know she's nice Lily?" Harry asked, picking her up.

"Cause I spokeded to her and she didn't talk to me like I was a little baby," Lily answered as she gave him her best puppy dog look, "And I like that her name is Hermy."

"Hermy 'eh?" Harry said, laughing at his daughters interpretation of Hermione's name. "So you want her to be your Nanny, do you?"

"Yes Daddy," Lily answered, "Please?"

"Miss Granger," Harry called, stopping Hermione just as she was walking out the front door.

"Yes, Mr. Potter?" she asked, turning to look at him and noticing that he was holding Lily.

"Would you be able to start the day after tomorrow?" he asked.

Stunned, Hermione walked up to him and said, "Sure, I could start the day after tomorrow."

"Okay then, you'll have your own room upstairs, near the kids rooms. You'll be required to make sure they're up in time and ready for school, you'll be in charge of them from the time they come home from school until their bed time. You will have one day off a week, Sunday, and you will be paid every Friday." He smiled at her and asked, "Do you have any questions?"

"Not at the moment," Hermione replied, still unable to believe that she had gotten the job.

"We will see you in two days then," Harry said.

"Thank you," Hermione said, "I will see you in two days."

"Bye Hermy," Lily called as Hermione walked out the door.

"Bye Lily," Hermione replied, turning back to wave at her. Making her way down the driveway, Hermione couldn't hold back her excitement anymore and a huge smile broke out on her face as she quietly said, "I can't believe I'm going to be working for Harry Potter!"


	2. Hermiones First Day

_~A/N Thank you so much for the great reviews on the first chapter! I am hoping to keep slowly adding one or two of my stories onto this site per week until they are all here. I usually post on Portkey (.org/profile/2075) but they've been having a few posting issues over there lately so I wanted to put my stories onto a secondary website as a back-up of sorts. There is a spanish translation of 'Nanny Wanted' on already and I'm pretty sure I gave the person who posted it my permission to do so. She was one of two authors that I said could translate one of my stories onto different websites (I hope that made sense, as I've had a fever all day and been sleeping for most of it). She was to translate into Spanish and the other, I believe, was into Russian. Anyway, just so you know, to my knowledge, she did not plagarize my story. Thanks again for all of the positive feedback, I really appreciate it! ~miscard_

Two days after the interview, Hermione sat in a taxi outside the sprawling Potter estate. She had recieved an owl the night before stating that flooing and apparating were not allowed anywhere near the estate, which was fine by her since she had given up both years ago. She still couldn't believe that she was going to be nanny to Harry Potter's children...let alone living in his house.

"Would you like some help with your bags?" the driver asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Yes, thank you," she replied as she paid him and then opened the door to climb out.

After the driver got out of the taxi, he walked back to the boot and lifted the lid, taking four bags out that had been stuffed inside. She thanked him again and then made her way to the now-familiar guard house. Walking up to the same guard that had been there two days before she said, "Hello again. Mr. Potter is expecting me."

"So you're the new nanny 'eh?" the guard asked, looking much more friendly than he had the previous time, "My name's Cole Jamison. I've worked for Mr. Potter for seven years now."

"Hermione Granger," she replied, shaking his outstretched hand. "So you must know Mr. Potter and his family well then."

"I was in Mr. Potter's class at Hogwarts," he said. "I fought with him in the Second War and when the dust settled and we finished school he offered me this job. There was no way I could pass it up." Cole was quiet for a moment, looking at her as if he were sizing her up, and said, "I don't remember you being at Hogwarts though..."

"I-uh...I attended Beauxbatons," she replied hesitantly, and quickly changing subjects added, "I just can't believe I'm going to be working for Harry Potter."

"He's a great boss," Cole said, noting the sudden topic change but deciding to leave it alone for now. "But you need to watch out for Miss Weasley. If she feels threatened by you at all she'll push Mr. Potter to sack you. That's what happened to the last Nanny...she got a little too 'friendly' with Mr. Potter."

"Thanks for the warning," Hermione said, liking Cole immediately, "But I'm more worried about Lily liking me."

"Lily's a great kid," he said. "But I'm not sure you'll be able to win James over so easily."

"James?" Hermione asked, "Right, Mr. Potter's other child. I didn't meet him or see him the other day."

"He pretty much keeps to himself," Cole said. "Ever since Mr. Potter started dating Miss Weasley, he's giving everyone the silent treatment."

"That's so sad," she said. "Hopefully I can do something to help him."

"Good luck. Mr. Potter has had one expert after another here to help him and none of them have succeeded so far."

"If James is taking it so hard, why doesn't Mr. Potter stop seeing Miss Weasley?" Hermione asked, knowing she was overstepping her bounds, but letting her curiosity win out in the end.

"Because he's got all the Weasleys pressuring him to marry her," Cole replied, shaking his head. "I almost feel sorry for him. I don't think he was completely over Miss Lovegood, his first wife, when Mrs. Weasley started pushing Ginny at him."

"What have I gotten myself into?" Hermione asked, more to herself than to Cole.

"You'll soon find out for yourself," he answered, giving her a sympathetic smile. "Good luck, and if you need anything my room is two doors down from yours. Harry likes to keep his employees close."

"Okay, well, thanks for the warning and I'm sure I'll see you again soon," Hermione replied with a smile in return. As she picked up two of her bags, Cole picked up the other two and walked next to her down the driveway. Hermione was quiet the rest of the way, thinking over everything Cole had just told her about her new employer...she was beginning to think that this job may not be as wonderful as she had first thought it would be.

"Mr. Potter?" Lisa Bradley asked, knocking lightly on the study door and then walking in when he called out, "Come in."

She found him sitting at his desk with a picture of Luna in his hands. She knew he came in here often to do just this since Miss Weasley wasn't allowed into his study. She remembered the day that Miss Weasley had insisted he take down all the pictures of the late Mrs. Potter...she had been so angry on Harry's behalf that day and had become even more angry when Harry had actually taken them down. James had looked heartbroken that day, and he had hardly spoken to any of them since. All he had left were a few hidden pictures in here and the kids rooms, which of course Ginny knew nothing about.

"What is it Lisa?" Harry asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"I just wanted to let you know that Miss Granger has arrived," she replied, concerned by the look of sadness that was on his face.

"Will you please show her to her room so that she can put her bags in there and then bring her here?" he asked. "I need to speak with her."

"Yes Mr. Potter," Lisa replied.

As she turned to leave the study Harry asked, "How many times have I asked you not to call me Mr. Potter, Lisa?"

"I don't know Sir," Lisa replied as she turned back to face him, causing him to give her a dark look for her use of the word 'Sir'. "I would call you by your first name, as you requested, if it weren't for the fact that Miss Weasley berates me for it when I do it in her presence."

"Right," Harry said, his voice dropping in volume. "I forgot about that. I don't suppose you would call me by my first name when she's not around, would you?"

"I'll try Si...Harry," Lisa replied with a smile. Harry could be one of the nicest guys sometimes, it made her wonder what the hell he was doing with Ginny Weasley. Unfortunately, Lisa didn't feel comfortable bringing up the subject of Miss Weasley in that capacity. "I'll be right back with Miss Granger."

"Alright," Harry said, and then went back to looking at Luna's picture thinking, 'Why did you have to leave us so soon?'

As soon as Hermione had set her luggage in her room, Lisa told her that Mr. Potter wished to speak to her right away. "Oh, okay," Hermione said, feeling slightly nervous at the impending meeting.

Quickly checking her hair in the mirror that was over the dresser, Hermione walked out into the corridor where Lisa was waiting for her. She followed her down the long hall passing by many doors, and she could hear Lily laughing behind one of them. When the door suddenly opened Lily saw her, lunged for her and said excitedly, "Hermy!"

Smiling at Lily's excitement, she reached down and picked her up, balancing her on her hip. "Hello Lily," she greeted. "How have you been?"

"Bored," the little girl answered. "No one will play with me."

"Well, I have to talk to your Dad for a little while but as soon as I'm finished I'll come play with you, okay?" Hermione asked.

"Oh," Lily said, sounding a little defeated. Hermione had a bad feeling when the little girls eyes suddenly lit up and then she asked, "How about if I go to see my Daddy with you?"

"I don't think that's a good idea Lily," Lisa said, giving the girl a somewhat stern look.

"But you're not the one talking to Daddy," Lily replied stubbornly, and then turning toward Hermione she laid her head on her shoulder. Giving Hermione her best puppy dog eyes she asked, "Can I Hermy? Can I go with you? Please?"

Hermione looked from Lisa to Lily and said, "Why don't we ask your Dad if it's okay and if he says yes then you can stay during our talk, okay?"

"Okay," Lily said, her eyes lighting up once again.

The three of them continued on toward Harry's study and when Lisa knocked on the door his masculine voice called out, "Come in."

When he heard the door opening he looked up, expecting to see Hermione, but was surprised to see her holding Lily in her arms. When Lily smiled at him and waved he asked, "Lily, what are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Potter," Hermione answered, "She came out of her room and asked me to play. When I told her I was coming here she asked to come too. I told her she could only stay if you said it was okay."

"Can I stay Daddy?" Lily asked expectantly, giving her Father the same puppy eyes she had just given Hermione.

Harry looked from his daughter to Hermione and couldn't believe how Lily had taken to the woman so quickly. She had hated the last nanny so much that she would bite her any chance she could and never listened to her. But she let Hermione pick her up and seemed to be listening to her already. He continued to look at Hermione, trying to figure out what it was about her that had won his daughters favor so quickly, and replied, "I guess you can stay. But you have to promise to be quiet so I can talk to Miss Granger, okay?"

"Okay," Lily agreed, giving Hermione a huge smile.

With a smile on her face also, Hermione sat in one of the chairs in front of Harry's desk and rearranged Lily so that they were both sitting comfortably. When both were settled she looked at Harry and waited for him to speak. He watched her for a minute, making her a bit uncomfortable, and then said, "It seems that you and Lily get on well already."

"She's a very sweet girl," Hermione replied, looking down at Lily with a heart-felt smile on her face.

"Yes she is," Harry agreed, giving Lily a loving smile of his own. "I also have a six year old son, his name is James and his room is across the hall from Lily's. He goes to school every morning at eight and Cole usually drives him. Do you drive?"

"Yes," Hermione replied. "But I don't own a car."

"That's fine, on the mornings that Cole can't do it you can take him in one of my cars," he said. "Both James and Lily go to bed at eight p.m. sharp, and James is to be awakened at seven on school days. You will be responsible for waking Lily also, at eight every morning, and you will need to dress her for the day and fix her hair. Lisa will make their breakfast and after James is off to school and Lily has eaten you are to make sure that Lily is kept occupied and out of trouble. James arrives home from school between three and three-thirty, so you will need to watch him also from that time until bedtime. Your pay will be five hundred pounds a week, I will pay you every Friday, and you will have every Sunday off. If something comes up where I need you on a Sunday, we will discuss it well beforehand and make other arrangements for your day off. Any questions?"

"Not right now," Hermione answered. "I'm sure I'll have one or two later, but Lisa can probably answer them for me."

"If she can't just come to me and I'll answer them," Harry said. "Don't be afraid to come to me directly with any problems that you have with either Lily or James. If they're bad tell me and I will discipline them accordingly."

"Okay," Hermione replied.

"Oh, and please try to keep them away from Gi-Miss Weasley," he added, without any further explanation, and they both noticed the sour face Lily made at the mention of the other woman. When Hermione didn't ask any questions he said, "That's about all for now, if I think of anything else I'll let you know."

Nodding her head in understanding, Hermione said, "Thank you again Mr. Potter, I won't disappoint you," and made her way out of the study with Lily still in her arms, making her way to the girl's room to play with her.

Harry watched her closely as she left the room with her head bent close to Lily's, talking in low tones to the girl, and he tried not to think about how lovely Hermione was or how good she was with Lily. Realization dawned on the direction his thoughts were taking him and he quashed them immediately. What bothered him the most was that, even though he barely knew her, there was just something about her that reminded him of Luna. Whatever the reason was, he had a feeling that Miss Granger was going to get on the wrong side of Ginny, and that it wouldn't take long to happen. It didn't matter though, since Harry had made up his mind already that Hermione would stay on as Lily and James' nanny, no matter what the obstinate redhead said or how much she argued with him.


	3. The First Crack In The Dam

_~A/N- I'm so sorry that I've taken so long to upload a new_ _chapter. I have been really sick the past week and have done nothing but sleep and lay around. I'm feeling lots better today, so I'm giving you this new chapter and the next one. Hopefully I'll upload more chapters this week. Thank you so much for the reviews, you're great! :)_

Hermione was near her wits end.

She'd been working for Mr. Potter for exactly one month, and in that entire time she had been unable to get through to James. The first day she was there, while she had been playing with Lily in her room, she had sensed someone watching her. She had looked up to see James standing in the doorway watching them play. When she had introduced herself and asked if he wanted to play with them, he had simply turned around and walked away. "He misses our Mum," Lily had said. "He's sad all the time, and Miss Weasley isn't very nice to him. She made our Daddy take down the pictures of our Mum because it's going to be her house now."

Hermione remembered the flash of anger she had experienced when she heard how Miss Weasley treated James. Before she could think on it more Lily had gone into one of her bureau drawers and pulled out a picture. When Lily had handed it to her to look at she knew it was the late Mrs. Potter just from the resemblence between the woman in the picture and the little girl. "Daddy gave me that picture and said I was to hide it so that no one else would find it. I don't want to hide it though...I want to keep it out so that I can still see Mummy every day. I miss her."

Hermione had hugged Lily, telling her that it was okay to miss her Mum and still want to see her every day, if only in a photograph. "I couldn't imagine how sad I would be if I couldn't see or speak with my Mum whenever I wanted to," she had told Lily. "But she'll always be with you as long as you keep her memory alive in your heart."

Lily had launched herself at Hermione, hugging her fiercely. "No one else will talk to me about Mum," she had said with tears in her eyes, "I'm afraid I'll forget her."

Hermione had lain awake in her room that night, trying to comprehend what kind of bloke would put a woman before his own children. She had no idea how long it had been since the late Mrs. Potter's passing, but it was obvious to her how much James and Lily were still hurting over the loss of their Mum, so why would Mr. Potter disregard their feelings just to be with Miss Weasley? That night she had made a decision that could, in the very least, cost her the Nanny position. But she found that she was willing to risk it, if it opened Mr. Potter's eyes to his son and daughter's grief.

It had taken four weeks to finally go through with her decision, but finally she was told that Cole couldn't take James to school one morning and that she was to drive him. After a silent ride, which made her wish she knew how to get through to the boy because he was obviously depressed, she stopped at a store and picked up two picture frames. One was a shiny gold frame that had intricate patterns engraved around it, all meeting at a heart that was on the bottom, in the middle and the other was black. When she arrived home she put her purchases, all except Lily's frame, in her room and made her way to Lily's room, where she found the little girl sitting on her bed weeping.

"Lily, what's wrong?" she asked as she made her way to sit on the bed next to her. Lily turned and buried her face in Hermione's chest, sobbing harder and mumbling incoherently. Hermione wrapped her arms around her and just held her while she cried, waiting until she was able to talk about what had upset her so.

"She's so mean!" Lily said with a hitch in her voice.

"Who is?" Hermione asked gently as she smoothed the hair from Lily's face, having a pretty good idea who she was referring to.

"Miss Ginny," Lily replied, looking at Hermione with such sadness in her eyes. "She came in a little while ago and said she was going to do my hair. When I told her that you usually do it she said I was not to talk back and she grabbed the brush and yanked it through my hair. It really hurt."

Hermione felt her jaw clench in anger as the sudden urge to give Miss Weasley a tongue lashing overtook her. She comforted the girl for quite a while and when she felt she was calmed down she picked up the bag that held the frame she had purchased for Lily and said, "I bought you a gift this morning Lily."

The little girl's green eyes took on such a light that Hermione silently congratulated herself on her idea. Handing the bag over, she watched as Lily opened it and pulled out the frame, giving her a confused look. "What's this for?"

"It's for your Mum's picture," she replied, "You can put it in the frame and it will sit on your nightstand so you can see your Mum every night before you go to sleep and every morning when you wake up."

Hermione knew she would never forget the look on Lily's face as they put her Mum's picture in the frame and carefully set it on the nightstand, facing her bed. They had started playing games after that, Lily's spirits raised considerably, and both were laughing and having such a good time.

"If you're going to be so loud you need to close the door," Ginny said, suddenly standing in the doorway with a not-so-nice expression on her face.

"I'm sorry Miss Weasley," Hermione replied, trying to keep her anger out of her voice.

Ginny had grabbed the door handle so that she could pull the door shut on her way out and Hermione noticed that she suddenly froze in mid-swing. Opening the door up again, she looked toward Lily and asked, "What is that?"

Hermione felt a pool of dread gather in her stomach as Miss Weasley walked over to the nightstand and picked up the picture of Lily's Mum in the new frame. "Where did this come from?" she asked in a tight voice.

"That's mine!" Lily said, running over to grab it from her.

Ginny swiftly raised the frame into the air so that Lily couldn't reach it and asked, "Who gave it to you?"

Lily stopped trying to reach the frame and looked defiantly at her. When Ginny narrowed her gaze at her Lily said, "Hermy gave it to me, now give it back!"

"Oh really?" Ginny asked, turning angry eyes on Hermione while Lily desperately jumped and tried to reach her Mother's picture. "What do you mean by giving her this? It's not your place to go out and buy things for her!"

Harry, who had been in his study trying to get some work done, had heard Lily yelling and decided to see what was going on. He walked down the corridor to Lily's bedroom door and when he looked inside his eyes widened. Ginny stood next to Lily's bed holding what looked to be a picture frame, almost shouting at Hermione who was sitting on Lily's bed, while Lily was jumping up and down trying to grab the frame out of Ginny's hand.

"What is going on in here?" he had asked in a raised voice so that he could be heard over the chaos.

"Daddy!" Lily said, relieved.

"Harry, thank goodness," Ginny said, stepping around Lily and making her way toward him. "Look what I found on Lily's nightstand," she said as she shoved the frame into his hands.

"Daddy, that's mine!" Lily said on the verge of tears as she ran to him and hugged his legs tightly.

Harry looked toward Hermione who sat quietly on the bed with a strange expression on her face and then looked down at the picture frame he held in his hand. His eyes softened as he saw the picture of Luna in it.

"Where did this picture come from?" Ginny asked him, clearly upset, "I thought we agreed to get rid of them."

"Lily and James should each get to keep a picture of their Mother," Harry replied quietly, not meeting her stare.

"That's not what you said when we discussed it," Ginny said with a very unladylike pout. "I told you how uncomfortable it makes me to have her pictures around what is soon-to-be my home."

"This isn't your home!" Lily had nearly shouted as she released Harry's legs, "and you're not my Mum!" Looking imploringly up at him she said, "Daddy, you gave it to me, tell her it's mine! Please don't take it away!"

Hermione's heart broke at the look of utter despair on Lily's face, along with fear...she was afraid that her Dad was going to take the picture away from her just to appease Ginny.

"Lily, shut it!" Ginny had hissed, causing both Harry and Hermione to look at her in surprise, and that was all Hermione could take.

"Mr. Potter, I bought Lily the frame for her Mother's picture," she admitted, looking at him and no one else. "I thought she would like to have it so that she could see her Mum everyday...she misses her so much."

"That's not your decision to make," Ginny said angrily as she glared at her.

Harry just looked at Hermione silently for a moment and then his gaze slid to his daughter. When he saw how sad and upset Lily looked he turned to Ginny and said, "I need to speak to Lily...alone...for a moment."

"B-But I...we agreed..." Ginny replied, and seeing that Harry wasn't going to change his mind, she turned and stalked past him into the hallway.

Looking up at Hermione he said, "You can go to your room for now. I'll come speak to you after Lily and I have a chat."

"Yes Sir," Hermione said dejectedly, sure she was about to lose her position.

"You'd better start packing your things," Ginny said as she walked past her in the corridor. "You're as good as sacked."

Hermione stopped and looked back at her, daring to look down her nose at the spiteful witch and replied, "That may be, but it was worth it if it made Mr. Potter finally see just how horribly you treat his children or make him realize how much they are hurting over the loss of their mother." Hermione had had all she could take, if she was going to lose her job then by Merlin, she would tell Miss Ginny Weasley just what she thought. Feeling very proud of herself, she turned to make her way to her room, missing the look of shock and anger that quickly passed over Miss Weasley's face.

She looked around her room as she walked through the door, realizing how much she enjoyed working for Mr. Potter and knowing how much she would miss Lily, and even James although she really hadn't gotten to know him any better. Closing the door as quietly as possible, she leaned back against it and slid slowly down until she was sitting on the floor. 'I _can't believe I said all those things to her_,' she thought, placing her head in her hands as the anger at herself flooded through her. How could she have gone off like that? What had she been thinking?

_'You were thinking of Lily and James_,' came the answer from her subconscious. Her head snapped up suddenly as the realization hit her...damn it, she did it for them, and that's all she needed to remember. If it meant that Mr. Potter paid more attention to them instead of concentrating on pleasing Miss Weasley so much, then it would definitely be worth losing her job over.

Feeling a little more at ease, she busied herself with straightening her room and when she was done she brought out the new book she had purchased that morning. Settling comfortably into a chair she tried to immerse herself in one of her guilty pleasures, a sappy romance novel, and soon all thoughts of what had happened just a short time before was overshadowed by pirates and fair maidens.

What seemed like thirty minutes later to her, someone rapped on her door, and the dread she felt before came back tenfold as she assumed it was Mr. Potter there to sack her. When she opened the door though, it wasn't Mr. Potter standing on the other side, it was...

"James?"

She hadn't even heard him come home, or realized just how late in the afternoon it was, so it was a surprise to see him there. Not knowing when she would have the chance again, Hermione walked over to her nightstand and took a bag out of its drawer. Walking back to the door where he stood, she took another picture frame out of the bag, this one black with gold trim, and showed it to him. "I bought this for you today. Lily showed me the picture of her Mum that your Dad gave her and I thought she might like a frame so that she could have the picture sitting out in her room... that way she can see it all the time. I assumed you had a picture too, but if you don't I can take Lily's into town and have a copy made for you." When James stood there looking back and forth between her face and the frame in her hands she said, "You don't have to take it now, I'll keep it in my room and whenever you want it, you just let me know okay?"

She watched as a flicker of sadness passed over his features and just as quickly was gone. He gave a slight nod and then watched her as she put the frame back into the drawer. He stood there after that, staring at her with his green eyes that were an exact match to his Dad and sister's, and after a moments hesitation he held out his hand to her. Walking over to him slowly, she gently took hold of his proffered hand and closed the door behind her. Silently, she let him guide her down the hall and was surprised when he stopped in front of Lily's open bedroom door. Inside, Lily and Mr. Potter were sitting side-by-side on the floor, obviously discussing something very serious by the looks on their faces. Lily looked up and when she saw her said, "Hi Hermy! Daddy and I are talking."

"That's good," Hermione said as she smiled at Lily affectionately.

"It's very good," Harry said, shifting her attention to him. Hermione had to stop herself from gasping aloud at the intensity in his stare and then breaking eye contact he looked at his son and added, "Thank you for bringing Hermione here James. Why don't you two come in and join us?"

Hermione went to take a step forward but stopped as she noticed that James was not moving. She turned her gaze back to Harry as he said, "It's okay James, I know you don't want to talk, but Lily and I would like it if you would just come sit with us and listen. It seems that she has a lot to say."

Hermione couldn't help but smile at the trace of humor she heard in his voice as he said the last part. She knew how much Lily loved to talk and ask questions, and sometimes the little girl could be downright unrelenting in her quest to learn everything she could in one day. Turning back to look at James, she watched as he stared at his Dad and sister and then started to walk into the room. The look of relief that was on Harry's face mirrored the way she felt as James let go of her hand, went to Harry's side and sat down.

"Close the door and come join us Miss Granger," Harry stated. "From what Lily has told me, it seems that you should be included in our discussion too. She's asked if it's okay to tell you all about her Mum, and it seems to mean a lot to her for you to know, so I've told her that it's okay with me."

Hermione was shocked. It seemed almost taboo to mention the late Mrs. Potter in this house, let alone have any pictures of her around, and here were the three people that loved Luna Potter the most in this world, ready to tell her all about their wife and Mum. Walking over to them, she sat next to Lily and smiled as the little girl crawled onto her lap and got comfortable. It seemed this was going to be a very interesting discussion indeed...


	4. Healing Confessions and Strange Feelings

"Before we begin," Harry said as he pulled his wand from his back pocket, "I think I'd like to make sure that we can talk privately."

He cast a silencing and locking spell on the room, which was good because Ginny was right around the corner listening. When she heard the locking charm take affect she stomped away to the Kitchen, hellbent on giving Lisa a hard time.

"Can I tell her now Daddy?" Lily asked, looking at Harry expectantly.

"Yes pumpkin," Harry said with affection in his voice.

"I wanted to tell you about my Mummy," Lily started, looking back at Hermione's face, "because you're the only growned-up that has ever talked to me about her, besides Daddy. Not even Lisa will talk about her with me."

"Um, well that's because..." Hermione started and then stopped herself abruptly.

When she stayed quiet Harry looked at her and saw a very uncomfortable look on her face. "What is it?" he asked, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy.

"I don't know if I should say anything Mr. Potter," she replied, looking anywhere but at him.

"First off, please call me Harry. I don't like people that work for me calling me Mr. Potter," he stated, looking a little angry now. "And second, if there is something going on under my roof that I don't know about, I expect you to tell me."

"Well Si...H-Harry...it's just that on the day I started here..." she trailed off, a little weary of telling him.

"Yes?" Harry said, silently prodding her on.

"Miss Weasley told me that I was not to mention the late Mrs. Potter," she replied quickly, without meeting his eyes.

"I see," he said after a few moments of complete silence. James just sat staring at the floor while Lily and Hermione sat watching Harry's reaction. "That is something that we will discuss more later, I believe Lily was going to tell you about her and James' Mum."

"Right," Lily agreed with a smile. The little girl wiggled around until she had turned herself just enough in Hermione's lap so that she could look Hermione in the face as she spoke. "Mummy and Daddy met at Hogwarts, and after Daddy beat V-V..."

"Voldemort," Harry said since Lily was unable to pronounce it.

"Yeah, him," Lily agreed again, "they got married and had James. Then two years after that they had me. Mummy and Daddy came here and made it pretty for us and we had so much fun!"

"That's right pumpkin," Harry praised with a slight, loving smile.

Hermione watched the smile on Lily's face slowly disappear and when the little girl's eyes locked on hers, she teared up at the sadness she could now see in them. "Then last year..."

"It was almost two years ago now luv," Harry corrected, his own eyes and voice full of sadness now.

"Then almost two years ago," Lily said correctly, "my Mummy went to town to buy something and she never came home. Daddy said that one of the Bad Man's friends hurt her and she wouldn't be coming home again."

Hermione blinked, causing a single tear to gently slide down her face, and tightened her hold on Lily. The little girl lay her head against her chest and it was very quiet as the three Potters seemed to be lost in their memories. Her throat suddenly constricted by emotion, Hermione cleared it as quietly as she could and looking at Harry asked, "Did they catch the Bad Man's friend that hurt your wife?"

"Yes," Harry answered quietly. "It turned out to be one of Voldemort's minions that hadn't been rounded up after I defeated him eight years ago. I thank the Gods everyday that James and Lily stayed home that day, otherwise I would have lost them too."

It became strangely silent in Lily's pink and purple bedroom and when Hermione looked over at James her heart broke as she noticed that he had two tear tracks on his face. "Are you okay James?" she asked quietly as she gently placed her hand on his back for comfort.

Harry looked over at his son and immediately put his hand on his shoulder. Lily crawled from Hermione's lap over to her brother and hugged him tightly. "I miss her too, James," said the little girl sadly.

"We all miss your Mum," Harry said sadly.

James, who had awkwardly wrapped his arms around his little sister to return her hug, glared angrily at Harry over her shoulder with tears still in his eyes. Surprising everyone in the room he said in a low, raspy voice, "You don't."

When Hermione turned her shocked gaze from James to Harry, she noticed that Harry looked as if he had just been punched in the stomach, hard. "O-of course I do," he replied, surprised that his son had finally talked and yet hurt by what he had said.

Without saying another word, James let go of Lily and scooted back from her. With one last angry look at his dad, James stood up and made his way to the door. Putting his hand on the doorknob, he stood with his back to the three others and waited silently for Harry to take off the locking charm. Harry ran his hand roughly through his hair and sighed heavily as he watched his son just standing there. Feeling a mixture of emotions, he brought his wand out once more and unlocked the door. James immediately opened it once he heard the lock disengage and the next thing that was heard was the slamming of his bedroom door.

"Poor James," Lily said as she crawled into Harry's lap and hugged him next. "Don't worry Daddy, I know you loved Mummy."

"Thank you pumpkin," Harry said quietly as he looked over his daughter's head at Hermione who still sat staring at the door, one lone tear snaking silently down her cheek.

After the eventful afternoon, Hermione had made her way back to her room while Harry and Lily had gone down to dinner. She had heard James go downstairs shortly after the other two had and she could only imagine the tense atmosphere that would surround the meal that night. She already felt emotionally drained from all that had happened, so she had decided that she would forego dinner that night to relax until she had to get Lily and James ready for bed.

Now she sat in the comfortable armchair in the corner of her room with her legs tucked underneath her as classical music drifted quietly from her radio. Taking a deep, calming breath she closed her eyes and let the music wash over her, relaxing away the tenseness that the time spent in Lily's room had caused.

Her eyes popped open suddenly as someone rapped on her door. Sighing, she lazily got out of her chair and made her way to the door, expecting to see Lisa on the other side, asking if she would be joining them for dinner. Instead, she was surprised to see Cole standing there, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and looking much more handsome than she remembered.

"Hello," he said happily with a dashing smile. "Feel like a bit of company?"

"Sure," she replied, returning his infectious smile. Motioning for him to come in, she closed the door behind him and watched as he took a seat on her bed. Walking over to the chair, she picked the pillow up that she had set down and got comfortable once again.

"Rough day?" Cole asked as he took in her slumped shoulders and tired expression.

"You have no idea," she replied. When he just sat quietly watching her, she added, "There was an incident with me and Miss Weasley this morning...let's just say it wasn't pretty."

"I heard," he said. "Lisa filled me in when I came in from shift change. If it makes you feel better, you're the only person to work for Harry so far that has confronted Miss Weasley and not been sacked on the spot."

"Well, I guess that's something," she replied, giving him a slight smile.

They continued to talk about everything and nothing for the next hour, enjoying the other's company after a long day. When there came yet another knock on her door, Hermione looked at Cole wearily as she crossed the room and said quietly, "I really hope it's not Miss Weasley."

"That makes two of us," Cole replied in the same low tone of voice, causing her to smile.

She reached out and turned the knob, still looking back at Cole as he said something else that she didn't quite hear. "What was that?" she asked, swinging the door open.

"I didn't say anything," came Harry's deep voice, causing Hermione to turn around quickly.

"Oh Mr. P-I mean Harry," she corrected as she remembered his request earlier that afternoon. "I'm sorry, I was speaking to Cole as I answered the door."

"Cole?" Harry repeated, and then noticed the man in question as he leaned over and came into view behind Hermione. "Oh, hello Cole."

"Hello Mr...I mean, hello Harry," Cole replied, correcting himself since he had been told to call his boss by his first name also.

"I'm um...sorry to interrupt, but I needed to speak to you," Harry said, bringing his gaze back to Hermione's. Noticing the slight pink tinge that blossomed on her cheeks, he realized that he suddenly felt annoyed for no reason. Not wanting to think about why he felt that way he said, "Come see me in my office in five minutes."

Confused by the sharp way he had said it, Hermione looked at him blankly and said, "Yes sir, I'll be right there."

After watching him stiffly walk away, Hermione closed the door and turned back to Cole, seeing the same confused look she must have been wearing mirrored on his face. "What was that all about?" he asked.

"I have no idea," Hermione replied. "But I should go speak to him right away."

She watched Cole as he stood up and made his way toward the door, noting the fluid way his body moved as he walked. Shaking herself from the thought, she smiled at him and said, "Thank you for keeping me company, I enjoyed our conversation."

"I did too," he replied, lightly placing his hand on her arm and giving her a friendly smile, "If you ever want to talk, don't hesitate to knock on my door, okay?"

"I won't, thanks," she said, and then watched as he made his way out her door. Trying not to think about how much she enjoyed Cole's company or her employer's strange behavior, Hermione walked over to her chair and sat to put her shoes on. Wondering for the first time since that morning if she may still lose her job, she thought over everything that had happened so far that day and mumbled quietly to herself, "Only one way to find out."

Harry made his way back to his study in a haze as images of Cole in Hermione's room kept flashing through his head. 'Why _the bloody hell should I care?_' he thought as he turned the corner, and bumped head on into Ginny.

"Harry!" she exclaimed, grabbing onto his arms. "Goodness, where are you going in such a hurry?"

"I'm sorry Ginny," he apologized off handedly. "Just had things on my mind and wasn't watching where I was going."

"Oh, okay," she replied, noticing the way he wasn't really looking at her. "Why don't we spend some time together? James and Lily are with Lisa, we could go snuggle up somewhere and talk, maybe snog a bit...it's been a while since we've had time alone."

"Not right now Ginny," Harry said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "I have other things I have to do."

"Fine," she huffed, brushing by him. "When you decide to be nice to me again, come find me and we can have some fun."

"Whatever," Harry mumbled, continuing down the corridor.

Ginny watched him walk away, her eyes wide with disbelief, and just as she turned to make her way to the bathroom someone else collided with her. "Bloody hell, watch where you're going!"

"I-I'm sorry Miss Weasley," came the feminine reply. "I was just on my way to see H...Mr. Potter."

"You better not be one of the things he has to 'do'," she spat, spearing Hermione with her angry, narrowed gaze.

"W-What?" Hermione asked, only to have the redhead practically push her aside and stomp down the hall. Feeling really confused, Hermione continued on to Harry's office and mumbled, "Stark raving mad, that one."

Oblivious to Ginny's temper tantrum, Harry was in his study, pacing back and forth behind his desk. He felt on edge and uneasy, almost uncomfortable in his own skin. "What is wrong with me?" he asked aloud, talking to no one but himself. Running his hand through his now-disheveled hair, he stopped pacing abruptly when there was a knock on the door. "Enter," he bit out, swearing at himself for sounding as angry as he felt. Hermione hadn't done anything to make him angry at her, so what was it that was causing him to feel this way?

The door opened slowly and his eyes followed her as she walked toward his desk and sat in one of the chairs in front of it. Feeling too worked up to sit still, Harry stayed standing and put both hands on the back of his office chair. When Hermione just sat there, watching him silently, he took a deep breath and more demanded than asked, "Please tell me what it was that Ginny said to you about mentioning Luna."

"Erm, well...she came to my room the first day I was here, after I put Lily and James to bed, and said she needed to speak to me," Hermione replied, looking uneasy. "She walked into my room, shut the door and told me that in no uncertain terms was I ever to bring up the late Mrs. Potter around her, you, or the children."

"You don't say," Harry said after a moment's silence. "But didn't Lily say that you two discussed Luna before?"

"Well...yes, she did," Hermoine admitted, "Mr. P...Harry, I may be well out of line by saying this, but I believe that Lily and James have a right to remember their Mother. She brought them into this world, she loved them for as long as she could, and I just don't feel that it's right to ask them to forget her."

"Nobody's asking them to do that," Harry replied quietly with an edge to his voice.

"I beg to differ sir," Hermione said. "That's exactly what Miss Weasley is doing, and she told Cole and Lisa the same thing."

Harry bristled as she mentioned Cole and then turned to look out the window behind his desk to cover his reaction from her. Taking a deep breath and keeping his back turned to her he said, "Thank you for being honest with me...I'll see to it that this problem is rectified."

When he didn't turn around and stayed quiet for a while Hermione cleared her throat and asked, "Is that all sir?"

"Yes," he replied, "You can go."

Glad that she was in fact not going to get sacked, Hermione got up quickly and made her way to the door, wanting to escape the tense atmosphere as quickly as possible. Just as she was reaching for the door, she heard him say, "Hermione?"

Her movements stilled immediately, surprised to hear him use her first name, and when she turned to face him she found him watching her. Taking her hand off the door, she met his intense stare and replied quietly, "Yes sir?"

"I just wanted you to know that you're doing an excellent job with Lily and James," he said.

"Thank you sir," she replied and when he said nothing else she turned once more to open the door.

Just as she went to step into the corridor Harry said, "Oh, and Hermione..."

"Yes?" she asked again as she paused in the doorway.

"Don't call me sir."


	5. Life's Little Surprises

That night in the Potter house was pure hell. Ginny Weasley had finally had enough of Harry's moodiness and the way he had been ignoring her. When he had gone into the bedroom around ten o'clock that night, everyone in the house soon found out just how angry she really was.

"How dare you skive off spending time with me to talk to that...that...nanny!" Ginny yelled, making Hermione's job sound like the most vile word in all of England. "And what was all that nonsense this morning? Hiding out in Lily's room the way you did? I should have been included in your little 'talk'...not _her_."

Hermione lay in her bed, listening to her name and job position being used as a bad word, and the way Miss Weasley said it made her feel almost dirty. As the redhead launched into yet another tirade Hermione could hear one of the doors down the hall squeak as it opened. She quickly put on her robe, opened her door as quietly as possible, and peeked out into the corridor. Looking to the right, she could see Lily peeking out a crack in her door and quietly made her way to check on the frightened looking girl.

"Did Miss Weasley's yelling wake you?" Hermione asked quietly with a look of concern on her face.

"Yes," Lily replied with fear evident in her voice. "Why is she so mad? And why is she yelling at Daddy?"

"I'm not sure why," Hermione fibbed, picking her up. "Let's get you back to bed."

"No!" Lily said so fervently that Hermione stopped in mid-stride and almost stumbled. "I don't want to go back to bed...I don't want to be by myself."

"What if I sit with you until you go back to sleep?" Hermione asked, tucking a lock of blond hair behind Lily's ear.

"Okay," she agreed.

Hermione carried her back to her bed and tucked her in, making sure she was well covered. The temperature that night had dropped more than normal for the time of year and she had to ask Lisa for extra blankets. Sitting on the side of the bed, Hermione started to lightly run her hand over Lily's hair. Humming a lullaby that her Mum had always sung to her when she couldn't sleep, Hermione watched as Lily's eyes started to droop slowly until they were closed completely and her breathing had started to even out.

"Get out!" Harry suddenly yelled, startling Lily awake again and causing Hermione to jump. As Hermione tried to soothe her again, she heard the door to Harry's room slam open and two sets of feet stomping down the corridor. "You heard me, I said get out!" he repeated, his voice louder this time. "I will not have you going behind my back to my employees, trying your damnedest to erase Luna's memory. She is...was...the Mother of my children and the fact that you even tried appalls and sickens me to no end. Now leave my house!"

"B-But I...you can't...where am I supposed to go?" Ginny spluttered, her face bright red as her eyes danced with fire.

"Go back to Molly," he spat as he advanced on her. "Tell her that I said she can have her little girl back and that I've had my fill of you." As Ginny stomped her foot angrily one last time and turned to go down the stairs, Harry said, "Oh, and make sure to tell her that I don't need her to play matchmaker any more!"

Ginny halted on the fifth step and turned to glare at Harry as she said, "Of course you don't, not since that tart moved in. I'm sure you've been planning this ever since you hired her."

While they had been shouting back and forth, Hermione told Lily to stay in bed and had crept up to the door to watch what was happening, unnoticed. After Ginny had called her a tart her eyes grew wide at the insult and she gasped as she suddenly felt a powerful wave of magic pass through her. Shocked, she stared at Harry and then jumped as the table that had been against the wall behind him slid across the hall and slammed into the railing. At the same time all the candles in the sconces that were lighting the hall and staircase blew out, leaving Harry and Ginny in the dark. Thankfully the light in Lily's room didn't go out and frighten the little girl even more than she already was.

"Incendio," Harry said quietly, causing the sconces to light up once again. Breathing quite heavily now, he pierced Ginny with his bright green eyes and said in an almost normal tone of voice, "Leave now, and don't come back."

Recovering from the powerful magic Harry had just inadvertently used, Ginny turned quickly, made her way down the stairs and was out the door in mere seconds. Hermione had to say one thing for her, at least she knew when to shut her mouth and get out as quickly as she could with all of her limbs intact.

"Hermione?" Lily called softly as she peeked out from under her covers.

Hermione turned and made her way back to the bedside and sat once again. Lily untangled herself from the blankets and crawled onto her lap, snuggling into her the way only a scared child who was looking for comfort could. "Is Miss Ginny gone?" Lily asked, staring at Hermione with her big green eyes.

"Yes, I believe she is," Hermione replied, trying not to dwell on how good the thought made her feel.

"Is everything okay in here?" Harry asked quietly from the doorway, startling them. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you, it's just that I heard voices and I wanted to make sure Lily was okay."

"I'm okay," Lily answered as she watched Harry walk toward them.

"She um...she heard you and Miss Weasley arguing and got a little frightened," Hermione answered, looking and sounding unsure.

Walking up to them and squatting down so that he was at eye level with his daughter, Harry said, "I'm sorry if I scared you pumpkin."

"It's okay Daddy," Lily replied, giving him a small smile. While he stared at her lovingly, running his hand over her hair, a big yawn escaped her and her eyes drooped a bit as she fought to keep them open. "Will you stay here with me until I go to sleep?" she asked Harry tiredly.

"Of course I will," he answered immediately. When she crawled off of Hermoine's lap and lay back on her pillow, Harry pulled the blankets up around her and knelt on the floor so that he stayed face-to-face with her.

When Hermione gave him a smile and started to get up Lily quickly said, "Don't go Hermy."

Hermione sat back down and looked at Lily. Seeing the little girl watching her she gave her a reassuring smile and said, "I'm not going anywhere."

Happy with her answer, Lily snuggled down into her blankets and not even five minutes later was sound asleep. Harry bent over and gently placed a kiss on her forehead as Hermione slowly got up from the bed so as not to wake her up again. Once they were both in the hall, Harry closed the door without a sound and turned to James' bedroom door. Taking a look inside, he saw that James was fast asleep, the sound of his slow, steady breathing filling the room.

As he and Hermione made their way down the hall, Harry turned to her and asked, "I'm not going to be able to go back to sleep, I think I'll have a spot of tea. Care to join me?"

Hermione looked at him and found herself drawn into his eyes. They were such an intense color of green and it seemed as if every time she looked at him she was drawn into them to the point where she felt she might drown. Taking a deep breath and breaking eye contact with him she said, "I should probably get back to bed, Lily and James might get up early, even though it's been an eventful night."

She could feel him watching her but refused to look him in the eye again. Muttering "Good night," she turned and headed to her room, wondering if she had made the right decision.

The next morning as Hermione walked into the kitchen, she could sense the change in the atmosphere of the household. Lily was laughing at the funny faces Cole kept making, Lisa was humming while she prepared breakfast, and Harry looked tired, but relaxed for the first time since she had started working for him. As she sat in the chair next to Harry and thanked Lisa for the tea she set in front of her, Hermione looked up at James who was sitting across from her and froze. He was sitting there watching Cole entertain his sister and had the biggest smile on his face that she had ever seen. Harry looked over at her, saw her staring, and following her gaze he noticed his son's smile also. When Hermione looked over at him all he said was, "I've been such a fool."

After that, breakfast was a myriad of small talk, teasing, and food consumption. Soon Cole stood up and said, "Time for school James." Looking toward Hermione he winked at her and said, "I'll see you later."

"Bye," she responded quietly, feeling her cheeks warm with his attention. As she turned all her attention to stirring her already stirred tea, she missed the dark look that passed over Harry's face as he watched the two of them.

"Hermy," Lily said, breaking into Harry and Hermione's sudden silence, "Can we play outside this morning?"

Hermione looked out the window and when she saw how sunny it was outside she said, "That sounds like a great idea."

The two of them finished their breakfast and made their way out into the vast front yard. As they were tossing a ball back and forth, Harry walked out the door and stood watching them with a smile on his face. Walking toward them, Hermione noticed that he carried a broom with him and was surprised when he walked up to Lily and asked, "Feel like going for a ride pumpkin?"

"Yes!" Lily replied excitedly, jumping up and down.

Hermione watched as the two mounted the broom and Harry made sure that Lily was safely on before pushing off the ground. He slowly ascended until they were level with the top of the shortest tree on the property and then proceeded to fly in wide circles. When he started to carefully zigzag back and forth, Hermione could hear Lily laughing and the sound was one of the best she had ever heard.

When they finally came back down to earth, Harry and Lily's cheeks were tinged pink from the cool wind hitting them as they flew. What she noticed next were their eyes, they were bright and filled with a happiness that made Hermione feel a bit choked up. It made her happy just seeing them so happy for a change, enjoying a joyous father/daughter moment that she hadn't witnessed until that day.

As soon as Lily was off the broom, she went running to pick her ball up again. "Hey Daddy," she called and when he looked toward her she threw the ball at him. Placing his broom on the ground and catching it easily, he went to toss it back to her, only to laugh when Hermione suddenly ran up and snatched it out of the air. "Hey!" Lily said, giggling as she started to chase Hermione. "Give that back!"

"You'll have to catch me," Hermione called playfully, already some distance away from her. She turned around and jogged backwards, slowing her pace so that the short-legged Lily could catch up to her quickly.

Lily was laughing happily as she chased after her and Hermione would slow just enough to let her catch up a bit and then would increase her speed again. When Lily suddenly stopped, smiling the biggest smile she had ever seen, Hermione slowed again, confused.

"Gotcha!" came a masculine voice from behind as two arms wrapped themselves around her waist, stopping her immediately. Lily ran up laughing and grabbed the ball off the ground where it had dropped completely unnoticed when Hermione had turned around in surprise and came face-to-face with Harry. She stood there with his arms wrapped around her, his touch sending a jolt of nervous awareness through her body, and found herself looking into those damn eyes again.

Harry, on the other hand, was struck by how wonderful it felt to have her in his arms. With her body pressed against his, he couldn't help but notice how nicely they fit together. Realizing that he probably should have let go of her by now, he loosened his hold on her and stuttered, "S-Sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

"It's okay," Hermione replied, unable to meet his eyes and silently admonishing herself for wishing he would have held her just a little longer. "I, uh...I should get Lily inside so that she can wash up for lunch."

"Right," Harry agreed as he dared a glimpse at her face. When she wouldn't look at him, he swore inwardly at the stupidity of his actions. He hadn't meant to make her uncomfortable, he had just gotten swept up in their game of keep-away when Lily had ran by him and said, "Daddy, help me catch her!"

The three of them made their way silently back to the house, Lily in between the two adults, looking back and forth between them and wondering why they were suddenly so quiet. Inside the house, Lisa stood unnoticed by a window watching them, observing how Harry and Hermione stole a glance when they thought the other wasn't looking. With a knowing smile, she made her way back to the kitchen, wondering what it was going to take for them to admit they had feelings for each other.


	6. Confessions of Love Lost

For the next three weeks things around the Potter house were quiet and routine. Everyone was in better spirits and Harry spent most of his days spending time with Lily and James, which meant spending a lot of time with Hermione also. They did everything they could to avoid any physical contact or situations where they spent more than five minutes alone together. Lisa continued to watch them ignore their feelings and it was starting to make her a tad bit cranky at times.

"Lisa, have you seen Harry?" Hermione asked as she walked into the kitchen with Lily in tow.

"I'm not his keeper, I don't know where he is every minute of the day," Lisa said in a clipped voice, startling both Hermione and Lily.

"I only asked because he promised to take Lily flying today since it will be too cold to fly soon," Hermione said, giving her a confused look.

Releasing a heavy sigh, Lisa closed her eyes for a tick and then opened them once more. Focusing on Hermione she said, "I'm sorry, it's just been one of those days."

Hermione gave her an understanding smile while saying, "I've had a few of those myself, it's totally understandable."

Returning the smile Lisa replied, "I believe Harry is outside already."

"Thanks Lisa," Hermione said and started out of the kitchen toward the front door.

"Oh, and Hermione," Lisa called, stopping her just before she opened it, "Cole has been looking for you."

"Thanks," Hermione replied, looking a bit uncomfortable, which made Lisa wonder what the hell Hermione was playing at.

"Don't forget that I'll be hosting the Halloween Ball here next week," Harry reminded everyone that night at dinner.

Hermione looked up quickly and asked, "Halloween Ball?"

"It's the social event of the year for the wizarding world," Cole replied before Harry could. "Lot's of important witches and wizards dressed in their very finest. It's one hell of a party."

When Lisa looked up she noticed that Harry was practically glaring at Cole and she tried not to laugh at the thought that Cole should have already fallen out of his chair dead if looks could kill.

"You are all required to attend," Harry said, staring right at Hermione, clearly getting his point across and making her a little uncomfortable while doing it. "Lily and James included. You'll be expected to take care of them during that time, usually from seven to eight that night, and then once they're in bed you'll be expected to rejoin the party."

"Okay," Hermione replied quietly, a little intimidated by the look in his eyes. She had never seen such coldness there, and she wondered what had suddenly caused the turn in his behavior.

"Excuse me, I have some work to do," he stated as he stood up quickly and then walked out of the room without hesitation.

Sparing a questioning look at Lisa, Hermione noticed the secretive smile she wore and was even more confused. Before she could give voice to any of her questions, Lisa said, "Why don't you go talk to him and I'll take James and Lily upstairs."

"Um...okay," Hermione replied, not really sure what she was supposed to speak to Harry about. The only thing that convinced her to agree was her curiosity about his shortness with her. As she walked out of the kitchen, she could hear snippets of Cole and Lisa talking back and forth rather heatedly.

Walking up to his office door, she knocked quietly and opened it after he called for her to enter. As she quietly closed the door behind her, she noticed that he was speaking to somebody through the floo, so she sat in one of the chairs she was now very familiar with and waited for him to end the conversation.

"Thank you for your time Minister," Harry said respectfully. "Will you be attending the ball?"

"Absolutely Mr. Potter," came the Minister's reply. "I wouldn't miss it for anything."

After exchanging polite goodbye's, Harry turned his desk chair around and stopped as his eyes landed on Hermione in the chair.

When he continued to sit there quietly watching her, she fidgeted a bit in her chair and asked quietly, "I'm sorry to interrupt Mr.-Harry, but I wanted to ask if I had done something that upset you?"

"What makes you think that?" he asked in reply.

"It's just that...well, I couldn't help but notice that you've been a bit short with me lately and I wanted to know if I had done something wrong," she replied, keeping her eyes trained on his.

"You've done nothing wrong," he replied finally as he pushed his chair away from his desk. She watched as he walked around the desk and proceeded to sit on it directly in front of her. "My nerves and patience have been taxed lately because of the planning I've had to do for this event," he explained, using a handy excuse instead of admitting the truth. "I apologize if I took any of it out on you."

"I understand," Hermione said, a little more at ease. Standing up, she smiled at him and added, "If you need me to do anything, I'd be happy to help."

"Thank you," Harry said, "but everything is pretty much taken care of already."

"Well, I should get upstairs and get James and Lily ready for bed," she said after an uncomfortable silence, and then turned to make her way to the door.

Harry stayed quiet as she walked up to the door and when she grasped the door handle he said, "Hermione, wait."

When she turned around, she was surprised to find him directly behind her. When she looked in his eyes she saw something she'd never seen there before...vulnerability. Before she had time to think about it, Harry quickly closed the distance between them, took her in his arms, and kissed her. This was like no kiss she had ever experienced before; it was rough yet gentle, questioning yet demanding, cautious yet possessive and she found herself being swept away. Just as she was surrendering to it, Harry pulled away and said, "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I don't know what I was thinking."

Hermione stared at him dazedly, the fog that had started creeping into her brain clearing as she slowed her breathing. "I didn't mind," she said without thinking. Realizing what she had just said, her eyes grew wide and she stuttered, "I-I mean, it's no big deal." Mentally kicking herself, she sighed and said, "I should really get back to the children."

"Right," he said, sounding somewhat disappointed. "I'll be up shortly to tuck them in."

Without another word, Hermione grabbed the door handle once again and quickly made her way out of the office, trying not to think of how wonderful it felt to kiss her employer.

The next seven days flew by in a blur, and even though the house was abuzz with activity, Lisa could see that something had changed between Harry and Hermione. They would still try to avoid each other, but they weren't doing a very good job of it lately. She'd also been witness to many passing glances that were held just long enough to give them meaning. The thing that convinced her most though was the fact that Hermione now seemed to be staying far away from Cole, and he really wasn't very happy about it.

"Has she said anything to you?" Cole had asked her that morning. "Have I done something to upset her?"

"I don't think you did anything," she had answered, trying to soothe his obviously wounded male ego. "I just think she has other things on her mind right now."

She didn't dare tell him that she thought Hermione seemed to only have eyes for their boss lately. He and Harry had been pretty competitive when it came to getting girls during their Hogwarts years, she could only imagine what would happen if she clued Cole into what was going on. Playing dumb was much simpler and kept the peace they all had come to love so much since Miss Weasley's departure.

When Hermione walked into the room, Lisa smiled at her and asked, "Have your dress robes out and ready to go?"

"Er, not exactly," Hermione hedged, not meeting her eyes. "I don't think the robes I brought with me are formal enough...I was actually going to see if I could borrow the car to go into town. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to find new ones."

"I'm on my way into town now," Harry said, startling everyone in the room. Chuckling quietly he said, "My, you lot are jumpy aren't you?"

"Would it be okay if I went with you?" Hermione asked hopefully. "I'll just run to the shop while you run your errands and I promise I won't take long."

"Absolutely," Harry said with an easy smile.

Lisa watched him for a moment, noticing a small twinkle in his eyes, and knew immediately that he was up to something. "Is there anything you need me to do while you're gone?" she asked, giving him a look that told him she knew what he was doing.

"Can you watch Lily and James?" he replied, giving her a secretive smile that really made Lisa wonder what he was planning.

"Sure," she replied, giving up hope that his features would give anything away.

As she and Cole watched Harry and Hermione walk out the front door Cole turned to her and said, "Damn it! I was about to offer to drive her."

"Better luck next time," Lisa said, coughing suddenly to cover the hint of amusement that could be heard in her voice.

After the short ride into town, Hermione went one way to get new robes while Harry went the opposite direction to get his last-minute errands done. About thirty minutes later, they met back at the car and were on their way back home.

"It didn't take you long to find something to wear," Harry said conversationally, hating the silence in the car.

"I don't usually take very long to find what I want," she replied, glancing toward him and then quickly averting her eyes from his.

"That's refreshing," he said with a smile. "I remember when I'd take Luna shopping...she could spend hours in a store without buying anything. It used to frustrate me so much, but after she died, I found myself missing it. It always seems to be the simple things about her that I miss the most."

Hermione was watching him now, moved by the fact that he was talking about Luna to her for the first time. "It usually is," she replied, causing him to glance her way when he heard the sadness that tinged her voice. Feeling as if she could truly talk to him she said, "I lost someone dear to me four years ago. His name was Brian and we were engaged to be married..."

Harry continued to stare out the windshield as she talked and when she trailed off he reached over and took hold of her hand. He didn't dare try to speak because he knew his voice would fail him. He could hear how much the loss of her fiance still affected her as she spoke and he knew better than anyone how long it took to heal.

"We had been a couple since our sixth year at Beauxbatons and he had proposed to me on my twenty-first birthday. We were so happy and I had already started to plan the wedding...a-and then as he was driving to the Bingham's house in Denham on Christmas Eve, he was hit head-on by another car and died instantly." She sniffled and Harry squeezed her hand, hoping that it would give her a small amount of comfort. Smiling at him through the tears that had gathered in her eyes she said, "The thing I loved most about him was that he was muggleborn like me and loved to drive as much as I did. He used to drive up from Woodley every weekend since the couple I worked for at the time liked him so much and never minded that he came over. Ironic that it was also what killed him. If he had just apparated he would probably still be alive."

Harry let go of her hand so that he could turn the car into the driveway and pulled it easily into the garage for the night. After shutting off the engine, he turned to her and quietly asked, "Are you going to be okay?"

"I just need a moment to compose myself," she said, wiping her eyes with a tissue she had found in her bag.

They sat in the car for about five minutes more and then gathered their purchases. Before she opened the door that led from the garage into the kitchen, Harry put his hand on her shoulder to stop her and said, "No one knows better than I do how much it hurts to lose someone you love Hermione. If you ever need to talk, I'd be glad to listen."

"Thank you," she replied quietly, touched by his kind offer. "I can usually talk about him without crying, but I've found myself thinking of him...He would have turned twenty-six two days ago...and I still miss him. He was my best friend."

"Luna was my best friend too," Harry said. "I always thought she was rather odd until my fifth year at Hogwarts. She had walked up to me and my best mate Ron Weasley, talking about snorkacks or something of the sort, and suddenly I found it more endearing than odd. She had a way at looking at life that was refreshing."

He stopped talking suddenly, realizing how much he had just told her, and looked away. "Harry," Hermione said softly, causing him to look at her once more, "It goes both ways you know, if you ever need to talk I'm here to listen, too."

After staring at each other for a moment, Harry broke through the intensity of the moment by saying, "Right. Well, we should really get inside, the guests will be arriving in less than two hours."

She watched as he walked by her, opened the door, and strode quickly inside. Mulling over the things he had said, and the things about Brian that she had confessed to, she shook her head thinking that the night was off to a very interesting start.


	7. Adorned With Roses

_**A/N - Hey everyone! I am so, so, so sorry that I haven't updated this story for nine months. To make up for it, I have uploaded the remaining chapters and I will be posting a chapter a day until it's finished. I just have to proof the chapters to make sure they're ready to post. I have upped the rating to M due to a few scenes between our favorite couple. Thank you for reading my story, and for being patient with me. Also, thank you so much for the wonderful reviews. You guys are the best! :)**_

Even though Hermione had gone directly upstairs after they walked into the house, she still found herself pressed for time. She had gone immediately into James's room, taken his robes out of the wardrobe, and told him to get ready. With a quick, "Come find me if you need any help," thrown over her shoulder as she rushed across the hallway, she walked into Lily's room. She spotted Lily sitting on her bed, already dressed with a proud look on her face. She smiled as she noticed how pretty she looked in the white lace dress she wore. She had on shiny black dress shoes and from the looks of it Lisa had curled her hair.

"You look so pretty Lily," Hermione said as she walked over to sit on the bed next to her.

"Thank you," the little girl replied shyly, "I dressed myself."

"And you did a wonderful job," Hermione praised, beaming at her with pride. "I need to go get ready now, but if you need anything just come knock on my door, okay?"

"Can I watch you get ready?" Lily asked quietly, spearing her with blue, questioning eyes.

Hermione sat quietly for a moment, turning over in her mind thoughts of whether it would be a good idea or not, and finally replied, "Sure, why not? I'd love to have some company."

Lily jumped off the bed and gave Hermione a big smile. Excitedly walking out the door, Lily made her way toward Hermione's room while she checked on James one last time to see how he was faring. She waited patiently for him to open the door after she knocked, and when he did she gave a startled gasp. There, in the doorway, stood a miniature Harry Potter. With his black, messy hair that would never lay flat, the bright green eyes that seemed to always look right through you, to the general features of his face, he was the spitting image of his father.

"James, you look so handsome!" she said, sounding a bit breathless. She noticed that his cheeks took on a pink tinge and not wanting to embarrass him further she said, "Lily will be in my room, she wants to watch me get ready." When he rolled his eyes and smirked she laughed and said, "It's a girl thing. Just remember that your Dad will come up ten minutes before we are to make our entrance. If he's not up here by then, can you go down and get him?"

James nodded and she gave him one last smile before making her way back to her room with only one hour to get herself ready for the biggest event of the year.

While everyone else was hastily getting ready and making sure everything was ready, Harry sat in his office with a glass of firewhiskey, relaxing. He found that all he could think about since his trip into town was Hermione. He couldn't get over the fact that they had more in common than he had first thought. And the kiss...when he had pressed his lips to hers it had felt as if his blood had caught fire instantaneously. He found himself wanting to do it again...and so much more.

Shaking himself from his overactive imagination, he turned his chair from the fire as someone knocked on the door and called, "Come in." He had no idea who he had expected to walk through the door, but he had never imagined in a million years that it would have been her.

"Hello luv," Ginny said, in what he expected she thought was a sexy tone of voice.

Uttering an expletive at her undesired arrival, he stayed in his chair and asked in an even tone, "What are you doing here Ginny?"

"I'm here for the Ball, silly," she replied, making it sound like he was foolish for not knowing in the first place. He followed her with his eyes, which shone with his dislike of her, as she closed the door and made her way to his desk. "Don't tell me you're still upset with me? I've given you plenty of time to calm down Harry, tonight we can be a normal couple again and let everyone know that our engagement is still on."

He was stunned speechless for all of five seconds before he picked his wand up, cast a 'silencio' on the room, and yelled, "What the bloody hell are you on about?! I don't want anything to do with you, and when I told you to leave and never come back, I meant it!"

"Oh pish-posh," Ginny replied in an aggravating tone of voice. "We both know you still want me Harry, you've just been distracted by that...that...nanny."

"Her name is Hermione," he said, gritting his teeth together in anger. "She is a loving, caring woman who is beautiful inside and out and treats James and Lily like they are the most precious things in this world. You, on the other hand, wouldn't know love if it walked up and bit you on the arse! Your only priority is yourself and anyone else be damned!"

He sat staring at Ginny angrily, his eyes ablaze with his fury, while she stood in front of him looking just as angry as he did. Without another word, she closed the distance between them, sat on his lap, and pressed her lips demandingly to his. Shocked by her brazenness, it took his mind a moment to realize what she was doing, but before he could do anything there came a voice yelling, "NO!"

Startled, Harry pushed Ginny from his lap, causing her to none-to-gracefully fall to the floor on her bum. Standing, he immediately looked in the direction the voice had come from and was shocked to see James standing there with his hands balled into fists at his sides. He seemed to be breathing heavily as he looked at Harry with hatred in his eyes. As Harry continued to stare at him, unable to find the words he needed to say, James yelled, "No, no, no!"

Rushing up to him, Harry knelt down and took his son by the arms. Staring into his shiny green eyes he said, "James, this isn't what you think. I didn't invite Miss Weasley here, she came on her own."

The boy's eyes broke away from his, glaring angrily at Ginny. She glared back at him and spat, "What are you looking at, you little mute?"

Suddenly, everything in the room that wasn't extremely heavy went flying at Ginny. She screamed as picture frames, quidditch trophies, and ink pots came at her with great speed, barely missing her head and body.

Harry looked back at Ginny and then whipped his head around to stare at James again. He could feel the waves of magical energy coming off his son's body and he started shaking him. "James, stop it! This isn't right! You're going to hurt her!"

It seemed the thought that he might hurt her finally penetrated through James anger-induced haze and Harry felt him relax a little. Anything that was in midair fell to the ground, which caused a pot of ink to spill all over Ginny's dress. When Harry heard her sputtering and cursing, he turned and had to stifle his laughter as he saw why she was so upset. Sobering quickly, he put his hand on James shoulder and steered him over to the desk. Looking down at the fiery redhead, he said, "Leave now Ginny before I call the authorities and have you forcibly removed. I have no idea how you got past the gate in the first place."

Ginny stood up, looking angry and embarrassed at the same time. Taking out her wand, she scourgified her dress and sneered at Harry. "The young man that you have out there was very receptive to my...friendly behavior."

"You're vile," Harry spat. "Now get out of my house and never come back."

Pulling herself together and trying to act more dignified than she was, Ginny raised her nose into the air and walked quickly from the room. Harry and James followed her, Harry wanting to make sure she actually left, and once she was past the perimeter gate he turned to James and said, "I am so sorry you had to see that son. Miss Weasley sort of...surprised me and you saw us before I could stop her. I hope you'll forgive me."

James looked up at his Dad and saw how sorry he was by the look on his face. He nodded his head, letting Harry know that he wouldn't hold it against him. Relieved, Harry bent down and hugged James, something he didn't do near enough, and straightening up he said, "It's time to go up and get the girls."

Hermione sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror and explained why she was putting the shiny powder on her eyes. She couldn't imagine how a four and a half year old like Lily Potter could come up with so many questions. She smiled at her reflection as she remembered a time when her own Mother had said much the same thing about her.

Shooing Lily out of her bathroom so that she could change into her dress, Hermione told her she'd be right out and shut the door. When a knock sounded on her bedroom door a minute later, Hermione opened the bathroom door a crack and asked Lily to please answer it. "Daddy!" she cried as she saw Harry standing on the other side.

"Hey pumpkin," Harry greeted. "I wondered why James pulled me to Hermione's room when I said we were going to find you first. What are you doing in here?"

"Hermy said I could watch her get ready," Lily replied happily. "I got to watch her do her hair, and color her face. She's in the bathroom putting her dress on now."

Just as Lily said this, the bathroom door opened and Hermione walked into her room, trying to smooth out the skirt of her dress. When she saw Harry and James in the doorway she stopped suddenly and said, "Oh, hello. Is it time to go downstairs already?"

Harry stood there staring at her, not really registering the words she was saying. She had on a dress that had thin straps and started as dark blue around her chest, gradually lightened to a powder blue around her hips, until it was almost white at the bottom of the skirt that was just above the floor. It had lines running vertically two-thirds of the way down it that were sparkling and he noticed that she was wearing high-heeled shoes that were a frosty blue color. When he brought his eyes up to her face, he noticed how her cinnamon colored eyes shone with an inner-radiance that took his breath away. And her hair...she had pulled the top and sides back into a clip while letting the rest cascade down her back in ringlets and Harry's fingers itched to touch it to see if it felt as silky as it looked.

Hermione, on the other hand, was struck by how handsome Harry looked in his black dress robes. His green eyes were even more striking than usual and she suddenly felt shy under his appreciative stare.

Both adults were brought out of their perusals of one another as James and Lily started laughing at their behavior. Embarrassed, Hermione moved to her bureau to put her earrings on and picked up the necklace she planned to wear. When she fumbled with the clasp Harry walked over to her and asked, "May I?"

Letting him take over, she shivered as his fingers whispered across her skin as he secured the clasp. When his hands lingered, brushing across her shoulders, she felt every nerve in her body ignite as desire washed over her like a tidal wave. Gasping, she turned to face him and noticed that his eyes had darkened and she swore she saw a flicker of desire in them before he quickly turned away.

"It's time we go downstairs," Harry said, joining James in the hallway. "Oh, I almost forgot..." he said, picking up a small box that he had placed just outside the door. Opening it, he took out what looked like a bracelet and said, "Lily, I got this for you to wear tonight." He slid the elastic band over her hand and when Hermione looked at it more closely she smiled. The bracelet was a corsage made up of small orange and green flowers that were arranged in the shape of a pumpkin, and Lily's eyes lit up as she stared at it.

"Thank-you Daddy!" she said, launching herself at him. He picked her up just long enough to hug her and then set her down.

Walking up to Hermione, Harry smiled and said, "I got one for you too, I hope you like it."

She watched as he carefully took out another wrist corsage and gently placed it on her wrist. It had three small white teacup roses surrounded by baby's breath and small green leaves. Hermione stared at it, touched that he had gotten her something so beautiful, and when she looked up at him she said, "Thank-you Harry, it's beautiful."

He found himself getting drawn in by her eyes as he replied, "You're beautiful."

They stood there staring at each other for a moment, both caught up in the turmoil of emotions they were experiencing. Finally, Lily broke through the seriousness of the moment by saying, "Daddy, we need to go."

"Right," Harry said, breaking eye contact with Hermione. Walking toward the door, Harry stopped before stepping into the hallway and motioned toward Lily and Hermione. "Ladies first," he said with a smile. Hermione took hold of Lily's hand and carefully made her way to the top of the staircase. She could see the guests all gathered at the bottom, dressed in their finest, and she felt a little nervous at the prospect of meeting all these new people. Interrupting her thoughts, Harry leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Why don't you walk down with Lily first, and then I'll walk down with James."

"I'm just the nanny, shouldn't I go down by myself and let you and the children make your entrance?" Hermione asked, looking uncomfortable.

"No, you should walk down with us. You play an important role in Lily and James life, I'm proud of the work you do and I think you deserve some recognition," Harry replied, looking very serious. "Usually Cole and Lisa would walk down with us, but unfortunately they both had to work tonight for the first couple of hours and then they'll be able to enjoy themselves." 'And I'll have you all to myself for at least an hour,' he thought to himself, pleased at the prospect of holding Hermione close and dancing with her.

Reigning in his wandering thoughts, Harry took a deep breath and said, "Time to mingle with the Rich and Pretentious."


	8. The Start of Something Wonderful

As Hermione and Lily stepped off of the last stair onto the hardwood floor of the converted dining room, she noticed many of the older women staring at her and leaning together, obviously openly gossiping about her. Trying to tamp down her nervousness, she walked forward into the crowd as it parted, making her way to the makeshift stage where the band Harry had hired for the night was set up. Stopping in front of it, she waited for Harry and James to pass by her and make their way up the stairs of the stage. Following them, Hermione held her hand out to James and the three of them stood off to the side behind Harry as he took center stage and cast a sonorous charm.

"Hello, and welcome to my annual Halloween Ball," Harry said graciously and then paused as everyone applauded politely. When the noise died down he continued, "I hope that you will all have an enjoyable evening, and now the musical styling's of The Hippogriffs!"

The band struck up behind him and as he, Hermione, Lily, and James moved off the stage and the lead singer took his place. As he sang one of the top songs on the wizard charts, Harry walked up to Lily, gave an exaggerated bow and asked, "Fancy a dance with your clumsy old Father?"

Lily giggled and replied, "You're not old Daddy, and I love to dance with you." She squealed as Harry scooped her up in his arms and proceeded to spin her around in circles, surrounded by all of his guests who smiled adoringly at their obvious happiness.

Hermione watched them with a huge smile on her face, loving how carefree Harry seemed, when she felt a tug on her hand. She looked down and saw James standing there looking at her questioningly and then looking out at the dance floor. "Would you like to dance James?" she asked, amazed at what he was silently requesting. He nodded his head slowly, took a deep breath and while looking at her said, "Yes."

Hermione gasped when he spoke and felt tears welling up in her eyes. Thinking that it would be best not to make a big deal out of it, she said, "I would be honored."

The two of them walked out onto the floor, blending in with the many other couples that were dancing, and Hermione couldn't help thinking how grown-up James acted as he lightly placed his hand on her waist and took hold of her other hand. He barely stood higher than her waist, so he was actually reaching up as he assumed the traditional dancing position and he looked so serious that Hermione's heart melted. As they slowly started to sway back and forth, she smiled down at him and asked, "Did your Mum teach you how to dance?"

James nodded in reply and smiled back. His cheeks took on a pinkish tinge as she said, "Well you are a very good dancer."

When Harry looked around, he noticed his son dancing with Hermione and stopped. Lily, curious as to why he had stopped, looked where he was looking and said, "James is dancing with Hermy...he's never danced with anyone but..."

"Your Mother," Harry finished, his surprise evident in his voice. He continued to watch, pride and love overwhelming him as he watched how stoically James held himself and how serious he was as he and Hermione moved slowly, side to side. Smiling, Harry said, "We'd better not keep watching or else he might get embarrassed."

As the song finished, Lily walked over to James and Hermione, leaving Harry alone to talk to his guests. Hermione continued to mingle, making sure to keep the children by her side the entire time so that they didn't bother Harry, and talked to many witches and wizards she had never met before in her life. A lot of them came up to say hello to Lily and James, and soon the grandfather clock struck eight and it was time for them to go to bed. After saying goodnight to Harry, the kids made their way to their rooms to change. Just as Hermione stepped up on the staircase, Harry walked up behind her, grabbing her arm gently to stop her, and asked, "May I have the first dance when you come back down?"

"Yes you may," she answered quietly, affected yet again by the intensity of his eyes. When his attention was drawn away from her by an older witch that had asked if she could have a word, Hermoine made her way up the stairs. She could feel him watching her and she had to stop herself from turning back to look at him as she felt a flutter of anticipation in her stomach.

Making her way to James room first, she knocked and then opened the door to find him already in his pajamas and under the covers. Walking up to the bed, Hermione leaned over to pull the covers up to his shoulders and said, "Goodnight James, and thank you for the dance, you're a wonderful dancer."

Hermione watched as his smile spread from ear to ear and he looked embarrassed again. Leaning down, she placed a light kiss on his forehead and once again wished him goodnight before walking out and closing the door behind her. Next she made her way across the hall to Lily's room, knocked lightly and then walked in after hearing Lily telling her to come in. Hermione found her holding one of her stuffed animals, twirling around the room as she hummed one of the songs the band had played. Finally coaxing her into bed, Hermione said goodnight to her and kissed her on the forehead before closing the door to her room also.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves and tamp down the anticipation that she felt, Hermione walked down the staircase once more and found Harry waiting for her at the bottom, his eyes on her the entire way down. When he silently held out a hand to her, she took it while bowing her head to look at the floor, flattered at the attention he was giving her.

Harry led her onto the dance floor just as the band started to play a slow song and Harry had to fight not to smile. He had secretly hoped that he would get to hold Hermione close as they danced and a slow song gave him a perfect excuse to do so. Wrapping his right arm around her waist, he took her left hand in his and started to move slowly. He didn't know why, but for some reason that night he just couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Maybe it was the blue of the dress she wore that made her eyes sparkle the way they were, or the way her hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back that made her look more soft and feminine. Whatever it was, Harry could feel himself becoming even more attracted to her and he found that he didn't really want to fight it. Without realizing it, he pulled her closer to him, making it so that there wasn't any space between them at all and when he looked down at her he found her staring back with a surprised look on her face.

"I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I?" he asked quietly, bending his head closer to hers.

"N-No," she stuttered, clearly affected by his forwardness, "Not at all."

They continued to dance closely for two more songs and when a faster song came on they both agreed they could use something to drink and headed toward the bar that had been set up against one of the walls. "One firewhiskey and..." Harry turned from the bartender to look at Hermione and asked, "What would you like to drink?"

"Sherry, please," Hermione replied, surprising him.

After handing Hermione her drink Harry said, "I'm not sure why, but I'm surprised that you drink sherry."

"My Mum turned me on to it," she answered. "She started drinking it after her Mum had her try it...I guess it's just something the women of my family enjoy."

After that, Hermione stood by his side, sipping her drink as he spoke to the many guests that approached him wanting a word. She watched as he smiled politely and admired how gracious he was to each of them. While lost in thoughts of how handsome he looked while staring at his lips and thinking how they had felt on hers when he kissed her, he turned toward her and caught her staring. She felt her cheeks warm instantly and cursed herself as he smiled knowingly at her. Blaming her traitorous thoughts on the sherry, she turned to watch the couples on the dance floor and found herself face-to-face with Cole...who looked absolutely dashing.

"Hello Hermione," he greeted. "May I just say that you look absolutely stunning tonight?"

"Thank you Cole," she replied, glancing uneasily at Harry when she felt his stare.

"Would you like to dance?" Cole asked as the band struck up a traditional waltz.

"Um, sure," Hermione replied. Placing her glass on the bar, she took Cole's proffered hand and let him lead her onto the dance floor. As he led the dance, Hermione could almost feel Harry's eye's boring into her back and knew that she dare not turn around. When she looked up at Cole's face she noticed him looking in Harry's direction with a smug sort of look on his face and felt herself grow aggravated. She didn't know what little game they were playing, but she was starting to feel like some prize they were both competing for. Startled by that thought, she realized that Harry and Cole had been acting that way for the past couple of weeks, she just hadn't paid much attention to it before.

"So who's winning?" she asked, causing Cole to look down at her with a confused look on his face.

"I'm sorry?" he asked, perplexed.

"I asked you who was winning, you know, this little pissing contest that you and Harry seem to have going between the two of you," she replied, looking annoyed. "I've thought that there was something amiss with the way you two were behaving, how suddenly you both needed me for one thing or another, coming up with excuses so that I would help you with things I normally wouldn't. What, am I some prize that you're trying to win?"

"Look, Hermione, it's not what you're thinking," Cole said, giving her what he probably thought was a charming smile. "I've had my eye on you since the first day you interviewed, you are a very beautiful woman, and I don't think my interest has gone unnoticed." Hermione looked away, a little embarrassed by his straight-forward explanation, but then looked him in the eye again as he said, "And I'm sure you haven't missed Harry's obvious interest in you either. We've always had great taste in women, and have been attracted to the same birds through the years. It's not on purpose, but it usually turns into an unmentioned, friendly competition between us. It's nothing personal, and we don't think of you as a prize...it's just a man thing, and you happen to be a bonus."

Acting without thinking, Hermione felt her hand connect with Cole's cheek as a red haze clouded her vision. "I am NOT some prize to be won!" she said harshly, trying to keep her voice down. Turning quickly on her heel, she hastily made her way off the dance floor, away from all the happily dancing couples, only to be stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Hermione, what's wrong? Has Cole done something to upset you?" Harry asked, his voice full of concern.

Hermione turned to face him, her face portraying her hurt and anger as she glared at him and said, "As if you don't know? Cole was just telling me about your 'friendly competition'!"

"Our what?" Harry asked, clearly confused. He turned as someone walked up behind him and saw Cole standing there looking quite mad as he stared Hermione down. "Enough of this. Cole, go outside and make sure that David is doing okay out there by himself. Hermione, go wait in my office, I'll be in there in a moment to speak with you."

Taking a deep breath and silently swearing to himself as he noticed the stares they had attracted, Harry excused himself to those around him and made his way to his office to see what the hell had just transpired between Hermione and Cole.

When he walked into the office, Harry found Hermione pacing back and forth in front of his desk, mumbling incoherently to herself. Fighting not to smile as he thought how cute she was when she was angry, Harry walked toward her and said, "Care to explain why you slapped Cole out on the dance floor?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe it was because he told me about your little competition to see who could win my attention?!" she replied, glaring at him angrily.

"Our 'competition'?" Harry repeated again, still unclear as to what she was referring to. When she continued to stare at him, he said, "Honestly, Hermione, I have no idea what you are talking about. Cole and I are in no competition over you. That would be disrespectful and it's something I don't believe in. If Cole feels there is a reason to compete with me, then I have no knowledge of it and I apologize for his behavior."

The hard look in her eyes softened a bit but there was still some distrust as she studied him quietly, trying to gauge his sincerity. "Why would he tell me that then?" she asked.

Harry walked up to her, stopping mere inches away, and replied, "Because he has always felt the need to make everything a competition between us. It was that way all through Hogwarts, and he still continues to do it now. If you like, I can speak with him and set him straight on the matter?"

"No, that's okay, but thank you for offering," she replied politely, "At least now I know what his intentions are." Thrown a little by his outright honesty and a little unnerved by his nearness, she could smell the cologne that he was wearing, and that combined with the only light in the room coming from the fireplace started to overwhelm her senses.

Harry stood there watching the many emotions that were flashing in her eyes and took in the way her skin glowed in the firelight. Trying to reign in his desire for her that seemed to be fueled even more by the alcohol he had consumed, he closed the distance between them and asked quietly, "What about my intentions? Were they clear after I kissed you?"

Hermione's eyes grew wide as his question washed over her and sparked a fire in her blood. She stared into his eyes and saw that they were darker than their usual brilliant green. The twinkle that she sometimes saw in them was gone as well and as he continued to stare at her with his desire filled gaze she felt her knees buckle a bit, so she leaned back against the desk.

Feeling emboldened by her reaction to him, Harry reached out and slipped his hands around her waist, drawing her to him so that there wasn't any space left between them. The feel of her body pressed along his was nearly his undoing, and he tightened his arms around her. When she didn't attempt to push him away or slap him for his forwardness, he decided to push his luck and bending his head down, captured her lips with his in a heated kiss. This wasn't like the simple kiss they had shared before...Harry had immediately slipped his tongue into her mouth, letting her know that this was no friendly kiss, and deepened it when he heard her moan.

Hermione was lost in a sea of longing. When he had wrapped his arms around her she had felt like just melting into him and letting go of all her inhibitions. Now as he kissed her without reservation, she brought her hands up and tangled them into his hair, loving the feel of the silky black strands as they slid through her fingers. Feeling his tongue tangling with hers, Hermione pressed her body closer to his, acting upon some instinct that told her that she needed to be closer somehow, and her breath caught as she felt his hands moving from her waist up to her shoulders and back down. Trailing his hands around her sides to her stomach, he slowly brought them up until they rested on her covered breasts, causing a hitch in her breathing at the feel of them there.

Harry broke the kiss and before she could utter a protest, he started to kiss his way along her jaw, down her neck, and then across her collarbone. Tangling her hands in his hair again, she closed her eyes as the feel of his lips on her bare skin caused a fire to erupt low in her belly. She could feel him moving the bodice of her dress and before she could think about what he could be doing she felt him take one of her nipples into his mouth and she gasped. "Oh God..." she whispered and then moaned as he sucked harder. When he moved to lavish the other one with equal attention her knees did buckle and she found herself sitting on top of his desk.

As he kissed his way back up her neck and claimed her lips again, she realized that he had positioned himself between her legs. With her skirt pushed up so that it draped around his legs, she wrapped her legs around him and couldn't help but smile against his lips as he groaned. She couldn't believe how turned on she was at that moment, and the fact that she could affect Harry this way made her feel powerful. He was not Harry Potter, her boss at that moment...he was Harry Potter, a normal hot-blooded male that seemed to want her as much as she wanted him.

That last thought slammed into her hard and her eyes popped open, wide with disbelief at what she was doing. She couldn't do this, he was her boss for Merlin's sake, and she wasn't willing to put her job in jeopardy for something she was unsure about. Breaking the kiss and breathing hard, she looked him in the eyes and said, "Harry, I don't think we should be doing this."

He stood there quietly for a moment, staring at her with passion-glazed eyes, and she watched as they cleared and became more focused on her. Leaning his forehead against hers lightly, he took a few deep breaths and said, "I'm not going to say I'm sorry that this happened, Hermione. I want to be with you, I'm tired of denying it, and I think it's safe to say you want me too."

There it was again, that brutal honesty that blew her away and attracted her even more. Damn him! Why did he have to make it so complicated? Of course she wanted him too, but did she really want to risk losing her job for some physical pleasure, or whatever this was between them? Lily and James meant the world to her and she didn't want to do something that could cause her to have to leave them, especially now when it seemed that James was starting to open up a bit.

Harry watched as the myriad of emotions played out across her face and knew she was silently arguing with herself. Deciding to spare her the internal unease she looked to be feeling, he kissed her once more and said, "I should be getting back to the guests, why don't you and I talk about this more later?"

"Okay," Hermione replied quietly as she fixed her dress, thankful that he'd given her a way out of her ordeal, if only for a little while. She would have some time to think things over now, and would hopefully be able to come up with an answer soon. She smiled as Harry took her hand in his and led her to the door. Turning toward him, she noticed that, thanks to her, his hair was messier than usual and she reached up to try to fix it.

"Thank you," Harry said with an appreciative smile. Opening the door, he motioned for her to walk out first and then followed her out, closing the door behind him. He watched as she walked amongst the guests, saying a polite greeting to a few here and there, and knew that they would be having their talk a lot sooner than she expected.


	9. The Dance of Ages

After Hermione came out of Harry's office, Lisa watched as she made her way around the room, graciously talking to everyone who introduced themselves. She had noticed the faint blush on Hermione's cheeks, and when she saw the cat-who-ate-the-canary look on Harry's face when he emerged, she was pretty sure that something major had just occurred between them. Walking up to her employer and friend, she smiled and asked, "Having a good time?"

"Yes I am," Harry replied, "How about you? Are you having fun?"

"Well I was, until I was hunted down by..."

"Harry dear, I've been looking all over for you!" Molly Weasley said, walking up to them and interrupting their conversation.

"I can see why," Harry replied quietly to Lisa as he realized she had been making a reference to the pushy witch standing before him. Turning toward the portly woman he said, "Hello Molly, how are you this fine evening?"

"I would be much better if you would tell me why you have broken my poor little girl's heart," she replied, giving him a very pouty, upset look that showed him that Ginny had learned from the best.

"What heart?" Harry mumbled, causing Lisa to start laughing. At the angry glare Mrs. Weasley turned on her, Lisa quickly stopped laughing and excused herself from the tense situation. Looking her in the eyes, Harry said, "Look, Molly, I'm sorry if Ginny is upset that we're not together anymore, but it wasn't working out between us. I think of her more as a sister than a wife, and to tell you the truth, she wasn't much of a mother figure for James and Lily. They need a woman in their lives that will think of them as her own, not like two nuisances that take up too much of my time."

"She thought no such thing!" Molly exclaimed, looking horrified that he could say such a thing about her daughter.

"Really? Then why didn't she ever spend any time with them by herself?" Harry asked, getting more angry by the second. "She always passed them off to Lisa or Hermione, and when she came to see me earlier tonight she had the nerve to spitefully call James a mute while he was in the room with us. If you want to pretend that your daughter is a woman that can do no wrong, go right ahead, but I suggest you find a blind and deaf man for her to marry or she may just die an old maid."

"Oh yes, Hermione, your new nanny," she said with angry disdain, "Ginny told me all about how friendly your new employee is. Really Harry, your behavior with the people that work for you is shameful."

Grinding his teeth together in a desperate attempt to control his anger and stop himself from saying what was on his mind, Harry ground out, "Molly, I've always thought of you like a surrogate Mother, so I'm going to respectfully ask you not to say another word. I'm sorry that you are upset that I'm no longer with your daughter, but you have absolutely no right to speak poorly about the people that work for me when you don't know them at all. If you wish to preach to someone, I suggest you go find Ginny and impart your Motherly wisdom to her."

While Mrs. Weasley stood there angrily sputtering at him, he excused himself and quickly made his way to the opposite side of the room. He thought to himself how glad he was that his best mate Ron, Ginny's older brother, wasn't able to attend that night thanks to Quidditch obligations. He was sure he would be hearing from his friend about it soon though, but thankfully he would have time to think of a way to pacify Ron between now and then. At least he had Molly out of the way, and hopefully Ginny had finally gotten the hint that he wouldn't be taking her back after their earlier confrontation.

The next two hours were spent catching up with old friends and courteously talking with important people from the Ministry. He'd also had to share a friendly dance or two with some of the Ministry official's wives who wanted to dance with the famous Harry Potter, all the while wishing it was Hermione in his arms instead of the older witches. He had seen her dancing with a couple of other wizards and tried to ignore the knot of unease he felt when he saw her in their arms.

Finally, at half past midnight, the final guests said their goodnight's and took their leave. As Lisa and Hermione helped with the clean up, Harry made his way upstairs to check on James and Lily, finding them fast asleep in their beds. Going back downstairs, he met Hermione as she made her way out of the Kitchen and smiled at her tired appearance. "Long night?" he asked.

"It was, but it was fun. I haven't danced that much in a long time," she answered sleepily. Stifling a yawn, she asked, "Is there anything else you needed me to do before I turn in for the night?"

With his thoughts drifting back to their encounter in his office, Harry gazed into her eyes and answered, "No, nothing else. Thank you for everything you did tonight."

"Alright, goodnight then," she replied, trying to ignore the fluttering that started in her stomach as she had seen his eyes darken after she asked her question. Passing by him, she made her way up the stairs to her room, thinking of how she couldn't wait to take her dress off and take a hot, relaxing shower.

Once in her room, she carefully took off her dress, hanging it immediately in her closet so as not to ruin it. Depositing her jewelry back into her jewelry box, she grabbed her favorite robe off of her bed and made her way into the bathroom. After standing under the hot spray of water for about twenty minutes, she reluctantly turned the water off and stepped out of the shower stall. After toweling off, she slipped into her robe and proceeded to remove all the makeup she wore. Feeling like herself once again, she slid her feet into her slippers and made her way out of the steam-filled room, stopping immediately when she saw Harry sitting on the side of her bed waiting for her.

"W-What are you doing in my room?" she asked, startled and angry at her traitorous heart, which had started beating rapidly in excitement at the sight of him.

He sat quietly for a moment, taking in the fluffy white robe and matching slippers she wore while wondering if she wore anything underneath it, and then said, "I'm here because I can't stop thinking about what happened in my office earlier this evening."

Hermione's eyes widened as he stood and then started to slowly close the distance between them and she stuttered, "Oh, w-well I, uh...I..."

Unable to form a coherent thought at that moment, she watched as he stopped directly in front of her and reached his hand out to caress her cheek. "I keep thinking how damn good it felt to hold you, how much I want you...I couldn't just go to bed as if nothing happened tonight when I can't get you out of my head."

"I-I'm just not sure that we should do...this," she said lamely, his words swimming around in her head as she thought about how affected she had been by his kisses. "What happened before, in your office, was...lovely...but it really shouldn't happen again." She felt her cheeks grow hot as she remembered how his mouth had felt on her breasts and then silently admonished herself for dwelling on something that should never have happened. "You just ended things with Miss Weasley, and I don't want to do something that could upset James and Lily. They've been through so much as it is, they deserve to be able to spend quality time with you, without having to share you with anyone."

"Actually, what I have in mind is something that James and Lily will never know about, and I don't love Ginny," he replied, taking in her suddenly flushed appearance. "I was weak and foolish, and I allowed her Mother to push her on me at a time when I was vulnerable and lonely. She was simply a warm body in bed next to me...one that I never got to know intimately." When he saw how surprised she looked, he smiled sadly and explained, "I've been out with two women since Luna died, Ginny and one other that is meant for friendship only, and with both I wasn't interested in taking it to a physical level. But you...I haven't wanted anyone the way I want you, and it's almost frightening how easily I lose control around you."

Hermione stood there staring into his gorgeous eyes, the desire in her body warring with the logic in her brain, and knew that her body was winning. She had never wanted someone as much as she wanted the man that was standing in front of her, not even Brian who had been her first and only lover. When Harry reached out and took hold of the tie that held her robe closed she didn't move to stop him, she just continued to keep eye contact with him. She felt the tie fall undone and shivered as the cold air hit her heated skin. Harry parted her robe and then let his eyes trail from hers, taking in every inch of her.

Unable to fight it anymore, Hermione gave in to her desire and reached up to the buttons on Harry's shirt, undoing them one by one. Harry wrapped his arms around her waist and the feel of his hands on her back sent tingles up her spine. When she finally got the last button undone, she slid the shirt down his arms and marveled at his chest. He wasn't a muscular man, but he was well built, with wide, strong shoulders, a chest with a spattering of hair, and a flat stomach. Unable to resist, Hermione placed both her hands flat on his chest and slid them slowly down toward his stomach, relishing how hot his skin was under her palms and fingers.

Sucking in his breath, Harry shook his shirt from his arms where it had been hanging and taking hold of her robe, immediately slid it down her arms and tossed it onto the floor. Trying to ignore the embarrassment she felt at being completely naked in front of him, Hermione undid his trousers, waited for him to take off his shoes and socks, and disposed of them quickly, along with his boxers.

They both stood face-to-face once again, each of them openly letting their gazes roam over the other's body. Harry was the first to move as he closed the distance between them and took her into his arms. Harry captured her lips and poured every ounce of passion he was feeling for her into the kiss, causing her knees to buckle with the intensity. Scooping her into his arms, Harry walked her over to the bed and lay her down gently. Settling himself carefully atop her, he remained unmoving while he studied her face, making her a little uncomfortable with his scrutiny.

"What is it?" she asked quietly, afraid of what his answer might be as all of her insecurities came crashing down around her.

"You're so beautiful," he replied with a gentle smile. "I knew from the first day you came to work here that there was something special about you, and that you were a wonderful person. But the more time I spent with you, the more I noticed the little things like the sprinkle of freckles across your nose and cheeks, the gold flecks in your eyes that sparkle in the sunlight, and the loving way you look at Lily and James when you think no one is looking. You are an amazing woman."

He kissed her again as he let one of his hands explore every inch of her body that it could reach. When he was done, Hermione lay panting underneath him, almost begging him to join them and make them one. As he positioned himself to do just that, Hermione quietly said, "Please go slow, I've only been with one other man, and that was some time ago."

"I would never do anything to hurt you," he replied, brushing his lips across hers in a whisper of a kiss. He slid into her as slowly as his waning restraint would allow, and once he was fully enveloped in her warmth they started the dance that so many lovers before them had danced, completely lost in one another.


	10. Encore

Cocooned in her sheet and blanket, Hermione snuggled lower into the warmth and turned over for a more comfortable position. When her nose bumped into something, she opened her eyes sleepily and came face-to-face with a wide-awake Harry.

Seeing her eyes widen to the size of saucers in surprise, Harry smiled and said, "Good morning."

"Morning? It's morning already? I have to get up and take care of Lily and James!" she said in a panicked voice, clumsily trying to untangle herself from the blanket.

She stopped her frantic movements when Harry placed his hand on her arm and said, "I've already been downstairs and asked Lisa to take care of them this morning so that we could have a lie-in and talk about what happened last night."

"You what?!" Hermione exclaimed as an angered expression stole over her face. "How dare you assume to know what I want! And I'm sure that Lisa knows what happened between us last night, even if you didn't come right out and say it, and I have to work with her. She'll probably think I'm some type of scarlet woman who's just trying to take Ginny's place. How could you?"

"I just thought..." Harry started, only to be interrupted by her continuing anger.

"You didn't think at all," Hermione said furiously as she finally got out of bed and put her robe on. Walking to her bathroom door, she turned back to face Harry with tears in her eyes and said, "I'm going to take a shower. Please don't be here when I come out."

Harry watched in disbelief as she disappeared into the bathroom, wondering what he had done to make her so angry with him. He had thought that it would be nice to spend some time together that morning, especially after what they had shared the night before. It had been so long since he had felt such desire for a woman, and last night while he was inside her he could feel the wall that he had built around his heart start to crumble. He wanted to spend every waking minute with her, find out everything he could about her, and the way she pushed him away just then confused him to no end. Had she not felt the same connection that he had last night? With a resigned sigh, he got up from the bed and cast one last look toward the bathroom door. Hoping that a hot shower and some time alone might help to clear her head, Harry closed the door behind him and made his way to his office for some quiet time of his own.

Hermione had been standing with her back against the bathroom door until she heard Harry walk out of her room. Sighing and wiping the tears from her eyes, she slid her robe off and stepped into the shower. Letting the hot stream of water spray on her aching back muscles, she closed her eyes and tried not to think of how wonderful Harry's hands and lips had felt on her body the night before. She could almost feel the sensation of his lips on her stomach as he placed kisses on her hot skin, and the way his fingertips seemed to glide over every part of her most private places, illiciting feelings she had never before experienced. Becoming aroused all over again as the memories played out in her mind, Hermione let her hands roam to the places that ached to be touched and proceeded to pleasure herself, all the while wishing that it were Harry's hands instead of her own. Afterwards, she washed up quickly and got out. Toweling herself dry, she slipped on her robe once more and made her way into her room to dress for the day.

As she made her way downstairs, she wondered how Lisa would react toward her. She had come to like her fellow co-worker immensely and the thought of losing the friendship they had started saddened her. She hadn't made many friends over the years, but Lisa was such a sweet, caring person that it was hard not to like the spunky brunette. When the sudden memory of what had happened with Cole the previous evening invaded her mind, Hermione stopped just short of entering the kitchen and took a deep breath. It had been such a crazy twenty-four hours...it was amazing how quickly her serene life had gotten so screwed up.

Gathering up her courage, she walked into the kitchen and took her seat at the table next to Lily. Smiling at the enthusiastic little girl's greeting, she turned to grab a piece of toast and Lisa walked up to her with a pot of coffee in hand. As she filled Hermione's cup with the hot liquid, she looked at her with an unreadable expression on her face and asked, "Eventful night?"

"You could say that," Hermione quietly answered.

Lisa nodded knowingly and didn't say anything further. As they ate quietly, James got up and placed his bowl in the sink. Just as Hermione opened her mouth to say something to him, Lisa said, "Why don't you and Lily go upstairs and play, and either Hermione or I will be up in a little while?"

"Okay," Lily said happily as she took James hand and followed him out of the room.

Hermione watched them leave and as she turned back to Lisa, she saw her flick her wand and cast a silencing spell on the room. After putting her wand back on the table, next to her plate, she looked Hermione in the eyes and asked, "Want to talk about it?"

"I don't know," Hermione answered truthfully, "I'm not quite sure I understand it myself yet." When Lisa stayed silent Hermione continued, "I, well...last night Harry and I...oh, I can't even say it!"

Lisa watched her for a moment before asking, "Did you sleep with Harry last night?"

"Yes," Hermione replied, her voice full of anguish. "I didn't mean to, really I didn't. I went to shower, and when I walked into my room afterwards he was waiting for me, and...oh, I just don't know what to do."

Lisa stayed quiet for a while, and Hermione started to fidget nervously. Finally Lisa said, "Luna told me that you would come along eventually."

"What?" Hermione asked, confused.

Lisa smiled at the evident confusion in her voice and replied, "Luna and I were best friends during our days at Hogwarts. When she and Harry got married, and she found out she was pregnant, Luna asked me if I would come work for them. I was struggling financially and I knew she was trying to help me out, so I took the job. We had so much fun together, it seemed as if I was getting paid to spend time with my best friend. I helped her with James after he was born...she and Harry were so happy together, and they were ecstatic when they found out they were expecting Lily." Lisa sighed as she remembered all the great times she had experienced with Luna and said, "Soon after Lily was born, Luna started acting strange. It seemed like she was trying to distance herself from Harry and the children. When I confronted her on it one day, she confided in me that she had 'seen' her death and that she would be gone soon."

At Hermione's obvious look of disbelief, Lisa said, "I take it you don't believe too much in divination?"

"No," Hermione replied, "It was never a favorite subject of mine in school."

"Mine either," Lisa said with a smile, "But Luna was something of a Seer, and she gave quite a few readings and predictions that came true. I believed in her ability, as did Harry, so when she told me how she had foreseen her own death, I was afraid for her. When six months went by and nothing happened, I was foolish enough to let myself think that she had been wrong. When Harry told me what had happened...she was like a sister to me, and it broke my heart when she died."

Hermione looked sympathetically at Lisa, knowing how much it hurt to lose someone you loved, and waited silently for her to continue. After dabbing her eyes with a napkin, Lisa sighed and continued, "A week before she was killed, she and I were sitting at this very table, talking about the future. She had brought up her vision and said that there was something else that had been revealed to her in it. She had seen that Harry would find his true soul mate a few years after she was gone and said that the woman would have trouble accepting her feelings because of being hurt badly in the past."

Lisa's hunch was strengthened when Hermione wouldn't meet her eyes after she said the last part. Figuring that she had nothing to lose, Lisa said, "He hasn't slept with anyone other than Luna...until last night that is. He must care about you a lot if he let his defences down enough to let you in, and I'd hate for him to be hurt again."

"How did you know that he's not been with anyone else?" Hermione asked, wondering just how close a relationship she and Harry had.

"I'm sure he told you about only going out with two women since Luna's death?" When Hermione nodded her head in confirmation she said, "Did he happen to tell you that the second woman was me?"

"You and Harry dated after Luna died?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"Yeah, we went out twice and then we realized that it wasn't going anywhere. I think we were just lonely, and we both missed Luna so much. We found comfort in one another," Lisa replied quietly.

"Do you have feelings for Harry?" Hermione asked cautiously, not really sure she wanted to know the answer.

"No," Lisa replied with a reassuring smile. "I realized on our second date that I considered him more as a brother than a possible love interest. He's someone I can talk to whenever I have a problem or just need to talk, and he comes to me if he needs a friendly ear to listen."

"Oh," was all that Hermione said. Her head was full of confusing thoughts and she rubbed her temples as she felt the beginnings of a headache coming on. "If you don't mind watching James and Lily this morning, I think I'm going to go lay down for a while."

"Of course I'll watch them," she replied. Hermione thanked her and just as she went to walk out of the kitchen Lisa said, "Please think about what I said, and don't shut Harry out. I've noticed that you seem to care about him as much as he cares about you, don't deny yourself a shot at happiness and true love."

Without another word Hermione left the kitchen, and a very curious Lisa, behind.

Harry had spent the time that Lisa and Hermione were talking in the Kitchen pacing in his office. Visions of the night before kept replaying in his mind, along with how wonderful it had felt to hold Hermione in his arms while they danced. He couldn't get her out of his head and it was driving him mad. Walking over to his desk chair, he dropped into it with a sigh and his eyes landed on the picture of Luna that he kept on his desk now that Ginny was gone. Picking it up he said, "I have no idea what to do Luna, I haven't felt like this since I fell in love with you." Feeling shame wash over him he muttered, "Actually, what I feel for her seems more...intense somehow and I feel like I'm being unfaithful to you. But she is so wonderful with Lily and James, she loves and treats them as if they were her own children." Running a hand roughly through his hair he set the picture back onto his desk and said, "I screwed up when I allowed Ginny to barge into my life, I'm not going to mess it up again by letting Hermione get away."

Deciding that he needed to talk to Hermione right that second, Harry got up and made his way into the hall, walking right into the person he was going to find.

"Can I talk to you for a moment in my office?" Harry asked formally, causing Hermione to give him a strange look.

"Um, sure," she replied, following him into the room. She sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk as he closed the door and followed her inside.

He sat in the chair next to hers and when he turned and faced her she had a somewhat surprised look on her face. Reaching out, he took one of her hands in his and said, " I don't know how you feel about last night, but I want to tell you that I'm glad it happened."

"I'll admit, I was unsure when I rolled over and saw you in my bed this morning," Hermione replied. "What happened last night was wonderful, but I don't want to do anything to make Lily and James uncomfortable around me. They're doing so well now, I don't want to jeopardize that."

"I don't either," Harry agreed, "But I want to be with you at the same time."

They sat quietly, looking at each other as various thoughts ran through both their minds. Before he could think about what he was doing, Harry leaned over and took her face in his hands. Leaning in, he claimed her lips in a passion filled kiss, trying to convey everything he felt for her. As he tasted her, he could feel himself grow hard and he kissed her harder.

Her heart had sped up as he started kissing her, and as the kiss grew more passionate she found herself lost in the feelings that were washing over her. With all thoughts of Lily and James far from her mind, Hermione kissed him back. Suddenly needing to be closer to him, she slid over without breaking the kiss and sat so that she was straddling his lap. Burying her hands in his hair, she moaned as his hands slid under her shirt and he started to knead her breasts . Losing themselves to their desire for one another, they started to unconsciously grind against the other, looking for release.

Bringing his hands from under her shirt, Harry wrapped his arms around her back and stood up, taking her with him. Sitting her on top of his desk, he waved his hand towards the items that cluttered it and sent everything flying and falling to the floor. Laying her flat on her back, Harry proceeded to undress her and himself. As he joined them together once more, he looked her in the eyes and said, "I love you."

With tears suddenly blurring her vision, Hermione stared into his beautiful green eyes and with a quivering voice replied, "Merlin help me, I love you too."

Harry stared at her, losing himself in her limpid brown eyes, in wonder of the feelings she invoked in him. Leaning down, he kissed her tenderly and proceeded to take them both over the edge of reason.


	11. Epilogue: The Magical Wonders of Life

_**A/N**__**- So here's the final chapter of Nanny Wanted. I know I said that I would post a chapter a day until it was done but you guys have been so patient and left some great reviews and thought, "Why not?". Right now I'm working on an original fiction story I hope to one day get published and also three HHR fanfics I hope to post here soon. Thanks again for all of the great reviews and the response to my stories. You guys are great! :)**_

_**One year later**_...

"Hermy, Daddy said I was s'posed to come get you," Lily said as her smiling face appeared in the doorway of Hermione's room.

"It's `supposed' Lily," Hermione corrected, smiling. "And why are you supposed to come and get me?"

"I dunno," Lily replied with the same smirk that Harry got when he was up to something. "Daddy said that I was to bring you downstairs to the sitting room."

"Well then, I guess I should go see what he wants, shouldn't I?" Hermione said, taking Lily's hand. As they made their way down the hallway to the staircase, Hermione looked at all the Christmas decorations that were hanging up everywhere, adding a very festive atmosphere to the house.

Lily pulled her down the stairs excitedly as she let the Christmas-y feeling wash over her, along with curiosity as to what Harry had planned for her. It had to be something good if Lily was this excited.

Lily stopped just outside the sitting room and bounced up and down. "Go in, go in!"

"Okay," Hermione replied, laughing. Reaching out to grab the door handle, she gasped as she felt a tingle run from her hand, throughout her entire body. Looking down, she gasped again as she saw that she was now dressed in a beautiful white lace dress. It was a simple, floor length dress with a beaded bodice and a simple tie-in-the-back waist and it was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. As her stomach suddenly became aflutter with nerves for no reason at all, the door opened and her eyes widened at the scene before her. Looking down at Lily, she noticed that the beautiful little girl was wearing a dress similar to hers and a huge smile.

"Are you going to stand out there, or will you be joining James and I in here?" Harry asked amused and she could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

Walking in through the door, she took in the scene before her and stopped immediately. The sitting room had been converted and it looked stunning. There were fairy lights floating overhead, a beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the corner, and Harry was standing in front of a roaring fireplace with James standing next to him. Finally moving, Hermione started to walk toward them and asked, "What is all of this? I thought we were just having a simple Christmas Eve dinner tonight and then it would be off to bed?"

"Well, James,Lily, and I were discussing what to get you for Christmas, and then we started talking about what they wanted for Christmas and well, maybe they should tell you," Harry replied, looking from Lily to James.

Hermione watched as James walked toward her and she smiled lovingly at him. He had come so far in the last year; she had worked with him eveyday, trying to get him to speak, and he was coming out of his shell more and more each day. Even his interaction with other adults was getting better, and she was so proud of him. Feeling him take her hand in his, she snapped out of her thoughts and looked down at his smiling face. "Hermione," he said quietly, looking at her shyly, "Lily and I talked about it with Dad, and for Christmas we'd like you to be our new Mum."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears immediately as she knelt down so that she was face to face with him. "But James, even though your Mum's not with us anymore, she's still your Mum and I would never dream of trying to take her place. Besides, I already think of you and Lily as my own children, and I love you both so much."

"And we love you," Lily said, walking up and taking her other hand. "And we want to know if you'll marry our Dad and be our new Mum?"

When Hermione looked up, Harry was standing behind his children, holding an open ring box in his hand. As happy tears fell gently down her cheeks, Harry reached out to wipe one away and said, "You're already a part of our family; you take care of us when we're sick, you're there when we need you, and you always make sure that we know how much we mean to you. You are everything to us and we couldn't imagine living one day without you in it. Will you marry me well, I should ask will you marry us, Hermione?"

Hermione laughed and cried at the same time. She looked from Harry to James and then to Lily, all three of their faces watching her expectantly. Looking back to Harry she asked, "Lily, James, can I talk to your Dad alone for a moment?"

It broke her heart a little as she saw their faces fall with thoughts of her saying no to their question. Reluctantly, James took Lily's hand and they walked out the door with their heads hung low. When she tore her gaze from their dejected forms she looked back to Harry to see the children's expressions mirrored on his face. Taking both of his hands in hers, she smiled up at him and said, "I'm not saying 'no' Harry, I just wanted to speak with you before I answered to make sure this is really what you want."

His face brightened a little and he said, "This is absolutely what I want. Since the first day you walked through my front door, my life hasn't been the same it's been better than I ever could have imagined. You may have started out by working for me, and we had our rough points in the beginning, but once I saw Ginny for who she really was and stopped denying my feelings for you well, life's been brilliant." Cupping her face in his hands, he gently caressed her skin with his thumbs and continued, "All this time that we thought we were being so sneaky and keeping our relationship from James and Lily? Well, they knew and confronted me on it two weeks ago. The three of us had a very enlightening conversation and it was almost like they were reading my mind. I had been thinking about proposing to you for Christmas and they came to me with the exact same idea and here we are." Taking her left hand in his, he kneeled down in front of her and placed the ring near the fingernail of her left ring finger, poised to slide it on, and asked, "Hermione Jane Granger, will you marry me?"

"Yes, I will marry you," she answered as happy tears fell from her eyes. She laughed as she heard Lily and James both shouting happily outside the door where they had obviously been listening. Finally looking down at the ring Harry had placed on her finger she said, "Harry, this ring is absolutely stunning!"

"I'm glad you think so, because Lily picked it out," Harry replied as James and Lily came running into the room toward them, both their faces shining brightly with happiness.

Lily ran up to Hermione and threw her hands around her waist, giving her a big hug. "I'm so glad you said yes, and that you like my ring! It was so pretty, just like you."

Hermione bent down and placed a kiss on the top of Lily's head and looked toward James, who was standing proudly next to his Dad smiling at her. With one of her arms wrapped around Lily's shoulders, she held out her other one in invitation and he walked up to her without hesitation. She wrapped her outstretched arm around his shoulders too and squeezed them lightly. Kissing James on the top of his head too, causing his cheeks to take on a pink tinge, she said, "I feel like the luckiest person in the world right now."

"Oh, the night has only just begun," Harry said mischievously. Walking toward the door, he motioned for someone to come in, and in walked Lisa, Cole, and Hermione's parents.

When she saw her parents standing there she quirked one of her eyebrows and asked, "Mum Dad? Not that I'm not deliriously happy to see you, but what are you doing here? You told me you couldn't make it for Christmas?"

"Hello dear," her Mum answered as she walked up to her and gave her a hug. "Your young fellow called us to let us know what he was planning and we wanted it to be a surprise. We were hoping that it would be more than just a Christmas celebration. Is it?"

"Yes it is," Hermione replied, beaming happily at her parents. "Harry asked me to marry him and I've said yes!"

"Congratulations honey," her Dad said, giving her a hug also. Turning around, he held his hand out to Harry and said, "Congratulations to you too, Harry. Just make sure that you take good care of our little girl."

"I plan to Sir," Harry answered looking just a tad nervous under Mr. Granger's intense stare and the hidden warning in his words.

Lily, who had been quiet up until that moment walked up to Jane, Hermione's mum, and asked, "Does that mean that you'll be my new Gramma?"

"Why, yes, I suppose it does," Jane answered, smiling down at the beautiful little blond girl standing before her, watching her with her big green eyes.

"Good, because I only have Granda Lovegood and I don't get to see him very much anymore," Lily replied, as any innocent child would, but her comment hit Harry hard.

He hadn't thought about how Luna's dad had been for a long time now and a stab of guilt shot through him. Vowing to contact his former father-in-law the next chance he got, Harry said, "I think we've made the Minister wait long enough, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, perplexed, wondering what other surprises Harry had up his sleeve.

"Well, I figured that since your parents are here, and I really have no one that I want here other than Cole, Lisa, and the kids, that we could get married tonight. Now."

Hermione looked up at Harry with the utmost look of love shining in her eyes and said, "That sounds like a wonderful idea."

Lily ran to the door and motioned for the Minister, who had been standing outside the room waiting to see if he would be needed or not, to come in to join them. Walking into the room with a smile on his face the Minister said, "I see we'll be celebrating after all."

"Thank you for waiting," Harry replied, "There were a few things we needed to sort out first, but we're ready now."

"Brilliant! Let's get this ceremony started then, shall we? My wife would like me home to have dinner with the family tonight and as you probably know, it's not wise to upset the wife during the holidays."

"You're absolutely right," Mr. Granger agreed quickly with a smirk toward his wife. When she glared back at him he looked away from her and focused once more on the Minister of Magic, causing the adults in the room to laugh.

Harry moved to stand next to the Minister of Magic while Hermione followed her Dad to the back of the room, along with Lily. James stood next to his Father proudly with a big smile on his face, looking like Christmas had come early (which in a way, it had). With a little bit of bustle in the back of the room, and a wave of the Minister's wand, some beautiful music filled the air. With a bouquet of flowers that Lisa had transfigured and given her, Lily walked down the short aisle and went to proudly stand off to the side opposite her Dad and brother. Hermione's Dad wrapped her arm around his as her Mom went to tearfully sit next to Cole and Lisa in one of the few chairs that were left in the room.

After walking his daughter to the front of the room and handing her to Harry with his blessings, the Minister of Magic performed the ceremony to marry them. Afterwards, they had a giant celebration dinner that they couldn't convince the Minister to stay for due to his wife's insistance that he come straight home afterward. When everyone was full and sleepy, preperations were made for Christmas morning and everyone went off to bed. When Hermione had turned to go toward his room that night after tucking James and Lily in, he had stopped her and asked, "Why don't we sleep in your room tonight?"

"Okay," Hermione replied, confused. "But can I ask why you'd rather sleep in my small bed when you have one twice the size?"

Walking up to her, Harry wrapped his arms around her waist and said, "First I want you to understand that what I'm about to say is in no way to hurt your feelings." When she nodded he continued, "That room, the bed that's in my room...I shared with Luna and Ginny. I'm not proud about letting Ginny in but that's in the past, you're my future, and that's why I don't want you and I to have the same room or bed. If it's okay with you, there will be a new bed delivered the day after tomorrow and we can choose which one of the other rooms to use as ours."

Hermione stood there looking at him as he spoke, genuinely in awe of his consideration for her feelings. As he stood waiting for her reply, she said, "That would be fine with me," and kissed him deeply. When she pulled back and he smiled at her she added, "I don't know of any other man that would even be so considerate of his new wife's feelings. I have to admit, it had crossed my mind that I would be sharing the same room with you that they had."

"Well, now you won't be." Scooping her up in his arms, he carried her into her room and lay her gently onto the bed. Closing and locking the door while casting the silencing spell, he walked back over to her and lay down on top of her. Claiming her lips in a heated kiss, he started to undress her slowly, relishing in every inch of soft, silky skin that he revealed. They spent the night exploring each other's bodies, not as lover's anymore, but as husband and wife, relishing in the fact that their new life together was off to a very, very nice start.

"Daddy? Hermy? It's time to open presents!" came Lily's voice through Hermione's bedroom door very early on Christmas morning, as well as some pounding on the door to get her point across. When Harry untangled himself from his new wife and looked at the clock he groaned and said, "Bloody hell, it's only six-thirty in the morning!"

Yawning loudly as she languidly stretched, giving Harry a very nice view, Hermione said, "But it's Christmas morning, all children get up before the crack of dawn so that they can rip open every one of their presents in as little time as possible. I think my all time record was ten minutes."

"Erm, well...there is something I should tell you," Harry said, looking at her with a bit of a serious look on her face. "I never really had that many memorable Christmas's while I was growing up so I sort of overdo it with James and Lily, I'm afraid."

"And you think that's a bad thing?" she asked, looking at him with love shining in her eyes. "Harry, you spoiled them last year too. If Lily and James acted like two spoiled children who never listened, then maybe I could find fault with the fact that you spoil them. But they are two of the most wonderful children I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and I can't even start to tell you how proud I am to be their step-mum."

Harry bent down and started kissing her passionately, hoping for a repeat of what they had done into the wee hours of the morning, but once again Lily yelled, "Daaadddddyyyyyy...come on!"

When she started to jiggle the doorknob they looked at each other and laughed quietly. "We'd better get up before they convince Lisa to use her wand to open the door." Harry said.

"She wouldn't do that," Hermione replied, looking at him with some doubt in her expression.

"No, she knows better," he answered with a smile. "But you never know with her quirky sense of humor. Come on, we'd best get up and dressed so that the kids can open their presents."

As they got into their robes, Harry took Hermione's hand and opened the door of her room, only to be almost knocked down by Lily as she ran in and wrapped her arms around Harry's legs. When he released Hermione's hand and picked her up, Lily leaned over to kiss Hermione on the cheek and said, "Happy Christmas mummy."

Tears sprang to Hermione's eyes after she said this and as she smiled at Lily she asked, "But before you called me Hermy?"

"I wanted to say it for the first time when I saw you," Lily replied with a huge smile. "Now can we please go open our presents now?"

"Yes, yes we can," Harry said while laughing. Walking out into the hallway, he saw James standing there and he said, "Happy Christmas son."

"Happy Christmas dad," James replied while smiling. Looking at Hermione his cheeks took on a pink tinge as he said, "Happy Christmas mum."

Hermione walked over to James and kneeled down so that she was at eye level with him. Placing her hand gently on his arm she said, "James, you don't have to call me mum if you don't want to. It's okay if you still want to call me Hermione."

"No,I want to call you mum," he replied. "It's just kind of...new."

"I know what you mean," Hermione said while smiling lovingly at him. Standing up, she held out her hand to him and he took it right away. The four of them made their way down the stairs to find Hermione's parents, Lisa, and Cole all waiting around the Christmas tree. "We tried to keep them patient for as long as we could," Lisa said with a smile.

"It's better than last year," Harry said, looking at Hermione. "What time was it that they woke you up again?"

"Five a.m." she replied, yawning again.

As the adults settled in with nice hot steaming cups of tea, James and Lily seperated their presents from everyone else's and started to open them as fast as they could. Fifteen minutes later all the toys had been unwrapped and opened, and the two of them sat playing happily with their new things. As Harry sat in front of the tree, handing out the gifts to everyone else, Cole said, "Harry, would you mind giving that one there that's from me to Lisa?"

"Sure," Harry said, seeking out the present Cole was pointing to. Finding it, he handed it to Lisa as Cole had asked and found the one he had been looking for to give to Hermione. Not paying attention, he heard Lisa gasp and looked over to find her holding up a one-karat solitaire diamond ring in her hand, looking at Cole with tears in her eyes.

"So what do you say?" Cole asked. "Lisa, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Lisa said happily as Cole took the ring from her shaking hand and slipped it on her left ring finger. Lisa launched herself at Cole in a giant hug and kissed him. "What a wonderful Christmas present, thank you so much."

"I wanted it to be special, and what's more special than proposing in front of the people we think of as our own family?" he asked. "I was just hoping the spontaneous wedding last night wouldn't put a damper on it"

Hermione sat on the sofa with tears running down her cheeks, touched at the scene unfolding before her. Harry walked over and sat down next to her, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "It's about time, don't you think?" he whispered, causing her to laugh.

"Yes, I guess so," she replied, looking at him.

"This is for you, from me," he said and then corrected, "Well, from your parents and I."

Looking at him quizzically, she opened the flat box and took out an old looking watch. Unsure of how to react, she looked at him and asked more than said, "Thank you?"

Laughing, Harry looked over to her parents and back to her again. "It's a Portkey," he explained. "Your parents have agreed to stay until after the New Year so that they can get to know their knew grandchildren better and then on January second, we'll be leaving on our honeymoon."

"Really?" she asked, touched by the gesture. When he nodded she asked, "So where are we going?"

"That, my dearest heart, is a surprise," Harry answered cryptically.

At just that time, Lily walked up to Hermione and handed her an envelope. "I made this for you this morning," she said quietly, as if divulging a big secret. "I would have made it before, but I didn't know that I was supposed to."

When Lily stood there smiling at her as if nothing were unusual about what she had just said, Hermione looked at Harry and then back at the envelope in her hand. Setting the portkey watch aside, Hermione opened the envelope to find a card that Lily had made herself. It had a picture of Santa drawn on the front (as best as any five year old could draw, anyway) and it read "Happy Christmas To My New Mummy". Opening it, Hermione read what Lily had written and looked at the small girl quizzically and asked, "Lily, I'm afraid I don't understand."

"You will," Lily replied with a big smile on her face as her eyes shone brightly with happiness. As she made her way back to her new pile of toys, Harry gestured questioningly at the card in Hermione's hand and she gave it to him to read. Inside it said:

"It's our first family Christmas and there will be so many more.

You are my mum now and I'm so glad because you're perfect for my Dad.  
>I'm afraid that my present will be latebut<p>

please do not be mad.  
>You will get it in the next three months, and can share with our Dad."<p>

Shrugging, Harry handed the card back to Hermione and said, "I guess we'll just have to wait three months to see what she gives you."

Watching Lily as she played Hermione quietly agreed, "I guess we will," knowing that it wouldn't be something simple, knowing how cunning the little girl could be.

The next day Harry and Hermione's bedroom arrived, which shocked Hermione since she was just expecting a bed only. As the movers floated the old furniture down the staircase, Harry stepped into the empty room they had chosen to be their new bedroom and asked, "Would you like it to be a different color?"

Hermione looked around at the dark blue color on the wall and asked, "I don't suppose we could make it something a bit...well, comforting?"

Taking in the empty room before him, Harry said, "You know, at Hogwarts our common room was decorated in maroon and gold and it always made me feel so...at home, I guess you could say."

"Why don't we make the walls maroon with gold trim?" Hermione asked simply.

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all," she replied. "I think it sounds lovely, actually."

So with some flicks and swishes of his wand, Harry changed the color of their new bedroom and stood in the center of it, admiring his work with Hermione. "I think it looks fabulous," she said matter-of-factly.

"I'm glad, because I think it's brilliant," he said, bending down to place a quick kiss on her lips since they could hear the delivery wizards coming back up the stairs. After telling them where to put each piece of furniture, they both lay on the bed together and took in the room they would be sharing together for the rest of their lives. Lily came running in and immediately jumped onto the bed, bouncing the two of them and making them laugh. When James walked in, he looked around and said, "Dad, it looks just like the pictures you showed me of your old common room at Hogwarts."

"Aye, it does," Harry replied. "Hermione likes the colors just as much as I do."

"They're...soothing," she said, taking a moment to think of the right word.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Harry said, smiling over at her right before Lily jumped on top of him playfully, knocking the breath right out of him while James and Hermione laughed.

After that day, the rest of the year passed by quickly and the next thing they knew, they were hosting a huge New Year's Eve party that anyone and everyone had been invited to. It was also a celebration of Harry and Hermione's marriage, which hadn't yet been announced until that night, so that made for an even more festive atmoshpere. With so many congratulations and well-wishes, Hermione was exhauseted two hours after the new year had begun. "I don't suppose we could go to bed now?" she asked sleepily. "Isn't our Portkey set to leave in five hours?"

"Yes, it is," Harry replied, yawning as well. Four hours later, Harry found himself stumbling down the stairs with Hermione in tow, their trunks shrunk and put in their pockets since, according to Harry, it was a magical place they were going to.

"All set to go?" Hermione's dad asked as they walked by him as he stood at the bottom of the stairs.

"All set," Hermione replied. "But you didn't have to get up so early just to see us off."

"We're all up!" said a very excited Lily as she came bounding into the sitting room. Unlike the adults, she and James had been in bed by nine the previous night so she was well rested and ran straight for Harry, practically jumping into his arms, giving him a huge hug. James followed her in, but at a walk, and stood quietly watching the scene before him.

"How long will you be gone?" he asked quietly, looking at his dad.

"Ten days," Harry replied, and then setting Lily back onto the floor he leaned over to whisper in James' ear.

"Really?" James asked with a smile on his face.

"Really, but don't say anything," Harry replied, ruffling his son's hair affectionately.

"It's almost time," Hermione said sleepily, drawing their attention to her. Walking toward Lily, Hermione knelt down and gave Lily a big hug and kiss on the cheek. Moving toward James, she knelt in front of him and asked, "Is it okay if I give you a hug goodbye too?"

When he nodded, she wrapped her arms around his stomach as he put his around her neck and laid his head on her shoulder. Turning so that his mouth was near her ear he whispered, "I'm going to miss you."

Pulling back a little, Hermione kissed him quickly on his cheek and said, "I'm going to miss you too. But I know that Lisa, Cole and my mum and dad will take good care of you." When he nodded, she added, "And my dad is really bad at checkers." Checkers was James favorite game of all.

"Hey!" her Dad protested with a smile. "We'll just have to see about that now, won't we?" he asked, looking toward James who nodded in agreement.

Hugging all the others goodbye, Harry and Hermione took hold of the portkey watch and counted down, disappearing as the clock in the sitting room chimed seven. When they landed gently (thanks to many travels by portkey) and Hermione turned around she gasped at the huge ship that was before her. "Is that...?"

"Welcome to the USS Merlin," Harry said, gesturing toward the ship. "This is a purely magical cruise, so if we don't want to leave our room the entire time we're on the ship, we can just magically order our food right from our room and anything else we want or need."

Hermione hugged him and said, "Thank you so much Harry, this is going to be so much fun!"

"Ten days alone with you, without James and Lily knocking on the door, or Lisa needing me for something? Yeah, I'd say this is going to be a great trip!"

After enjoying ten lovely days together by themselves Harry and Hermione returned home to resume their normal life together with Lisa, Cole, James, and Lily. Sadly, Hermione's parents had to return to their home, and Hermione tearfully saw them off with the promise that she, Harry, and the children would come to visit them soon. While they had been away, Lisa and Cole (with Lily's input of course) had decided to be wed on June 7th, which was less than five months away.

"That's pretty quick," Harry remarked offhandedly.

"Like you're one to talk about quick weddings?" Cole teased.

"Smartass," Harry replied laughing. "If you need any help with anything just let me know."

"Thank you," Lisa said, smiling brightly. "Erm, there is a reason for the rush...I'm pregnant!"

Hermione let out a small squeal of delight and made her way to Lisa to give her a huge hug of congratulations. Harry went over and shook Cole's hand as well as giving Lisa a hug and said, "If you would like, you're both welcome to move into the guest house. It has two bedrooms and is pretty good sized as you already know." When the two of them kept quiet he added, "You two have been my friends all through Hogwarts, you stood by me through the war, and you've been here with me since I first moved in. I couldn't imagine life around here without you in it. Besides, Lily and James think of you as their Auntie Lisa and Uncle Cole, they would miss you as well."

"And if you're not feeling up to cooking or whatever around here, I'm more than happy to help out," Hermione replied, looking at Lisa. "Really, it just wouldn't be the same around here without the two of you."

Lisa looked to Cole who stared back at her intensely, and when he saw the pleading look in her eyes he said, "Okay, we would love to move into the guest house."

"And don't even think about paying rent or anything, I won't hear of it," Harry said when he saw Cole open his mouth to say something else.

Shaking his head, Cole said, "You always could tell what I was going to say before I said it."

The following week, Harry and Cole moved Lisa and Cole's things into the guest house, freeing up the entire west wing upstairs. Standing in the middle of the sitting room, Hermione looked around as Harry walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, planting a kiss on the side of her neck. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"This house just seems so big," she replied. "Especially now that Lisa and Cole are living in the guest house."

"Well, why don't we start working on expanding our family then?" he asked, nipping at her earlobe with his teeth, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

"That sounds wonderful," she replied, reaching her hand behind her to caress his cheek lovingly.

"Well, since the kids are over with Cole and Lisa, 'helping' them unpack," he said with laughter in his voice, "why don't we go start on that right now?"

Turning toward him with a mischevious smile on her face, she said, "Only if you can beat me up to our room," and took off running up the stairs.

Smiling as he watched her behind as she ran, Harry closed his eyes and concentrated on what his bedroom door looked like and apparated. When Hermione got to the top of the stairs, only to see Harry leaning against the doorframe of their room with a cocky grin on his face, she said, "How'd you...but you didn't...you apparated, didn't you?" When he nodded his head with that damn grin still on his face she said, "You cheated and you told me the wards didn't allow apparition inside the house!" she said, walking up to him.

"Did I? Hmm, guess I was thinking of something else." Laughing when she smacked him on the arm, he scooped her up as she started laughing and said, "What does it matter? We win either way."

Valentine's Day, two weeks later...

Hermione crawled back into bed, after running to the loo once again to be sick. Putting the cold cloth on her head that she had brought back with her, along with something else, she snuggled under the covers and Harry immediately rolled over and put his hand over her waist while snuggling closer. When she moaned quietly he quickly brought his head up and asked, "Hermione? Are you okay?"

"I'm still sick," she replied, enjoying the coolness of the cloth as she relaxed into her pillow.

Harry could hear her stomach gurgle in the silence of the room and he said, "Is there anything I can do?"

"No, but you're a luv for asking," she mumbled, just before quickly jumping out of bed again for another run to the bathroom. When she came back ten minutes later, she switched on her bedside lamp to find Harry laying in bed wide awake, watching her.

"Maybe you should go see a healer?" he asked. "You've had this flu for a week now."

Looking down at the clock on her nightstand, Hermione picked up the other object she had brought along with the clock and looked down at it. When her eyes filled with tears and two escaped, making their way down her cheeks, Harry asked, "Luv, what is it? What's wrong?"

Sniffling, Hermione wiped at one of the tears and looked up at him. Showing him a thin white stick she replied, "Absolutely nothing is wrong. I don't have the flu, I'm pregnant."

Harry just stared at her for a moment, letting it soak in, and then he was out of bed in a flash, wrapping her in a gentle hug. "We're going to have a baby?" he asked quietly, sounding a bit choked up himself.

"According to this muggle stick test that I bought yesterday," she replied. "I'll go to the healer tomorrow to confirm it."

"We're not waiting until tomorrow," he replied. "Wait here."

Hermione watched curiously as he quickly pulled on a t-shirt and jeans and made his way out of their room. About fifteen minutes later, he walked back in with an older woman in tow, mumbling none too happily behind him. Walking up to her he said, "Hermione, this is Madam Pomfrey. She healed me after every Quidditch injury I suffered during my years at Hogwarts and saved me from near-death after the war."

"It's very nice to meet you Mrs. Potter," the nurse replied politely.

"Please, call me Hermione," she said. "There's no need for such formalities."

"Alright Hermione, Mr. Potter informs me you haven't been feeling well and that you suspect you may be pregnant?"

"Um, yes, but you really didn't need to make a house call. I told Harry I was going to see a healer tomorrow," she replied, casting an annoyed glance at him.

"One thing I've learned over the years is that Mr. Potter is anything but patient," the nurse replied, casting him an annoyed look as well. Switching into official nurse mode she asked, "If you would please lie down on the bed, I'll examine you and preform the pregnancy spell."

Doing as she was asked, Hermione lay back down on their bed and opened her robe as the nurse asked, exposing her nightdress. Madam Pomfrey started waving her wand over her right away and while swirling it in a circular motion over her stomach, the nurse muttered a few words and a blue glow appeared. Hermione looked at Harry to see him practically beaming and never having a magical pregnancy test performed before she asked, "So I am pregnant then?"

"Yes you are," the nurse replied with a smile. "And it seems you'll be having a boy."

"A boy?" Hermione asked, in a bit of a state of shock. It wasn't even nine in the morning yet and already she had not only found out she was pregnant, but that she and Harry would be having a little boy. "So can you tell me a due date?"

Waving her wand once more while uttering a few more words Madam Pomfrey answered, "I'd say September 16th."

"That's just three days before my birthday," Hermione said, smiling and placing her hand on her still flat stomach. Thinking back, she looked at the nurse and asked, "So then I conceived..."

"On Christmas Eve," Madam Pomfrey finished with a smile. "So, if you experience any morning sickness..." when Hermione nodded her head adamantly she continued, "try to drink water and tea, and eat toast or other light foods."

Nodding in understanding, Hermione said, "Thank you so much for coming here this morning. It means more than you'll ever know."

"Yes, thank you," Harry agreed as the nurse gathered her things and walked past him toward the door.

"You're very welcome, congratulations," Madam Pomfrey replied. "Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day."

Hermione hadn't even realized what day it was until the nurse mentioned it. "Thank you." she replied quietly.

"I'm just going to accompany Madam Pomfrey back downstairs," Harry said with a smile. "I'll be right back."

"Okay," Hermione replied, unable to wipe the smile off of her face. As she lay with her hand on her stomach, thinking of the small version of she and Harry that was growing inside of her, Lily peeked her head into the room and asked, "Can I come in?"

"Of course you can," Hermione replied instantly.

When the little blond walked over and sat next to her on the bed she said, "You don't look good. Are you still sick?"

"I am," Hermoine replied, not knowing really how much she should say.

Lily sat there, staring intently into Hermione's eyes and said, "You got my Christmas present, didn't you?"

"What?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

"My Christmas present, remember my card?" Lily asked. "It said that you would get my present in the next three months." When Hermione lay there watching her Lily said, "I'm going to have a new baby brother, right?"

Hermione's mouth dropped open in surprise just as Harry walked in just in time to hear what his daughter had said. "You told her already?" he asked, looking at Hermione.

"No, actually I didn't," Hermione said. "Lily, were you listening at the door?"

"No," Lily replied innocently. "On Christmas Eve night, Mum came to me in my dreams and told me that something special would be coming into our lives soon, a baby boy. She said that you and Daddy would be getting the present in three months time, and she told me what I should write in the card I gave you."

"Luna came to you in a dream and told you this?" Harry asked, walking up to his daughter and kneeling down so that he was at eye-level with her.

"Yeah," Lily answered like there was nothing unusual about it.

"Then why didn't you put that in the card?" he asked.

"Because Mum said not to. She said that she knew how much you loved surprises, and that this one was something that the two of you should find out on your own." Lily looked at Hermione with a smile and said, "She wanted me to give you a present she knew you've always wanted."

Hermione's eyes welled with tears and Lily threw her arms around her neck, hugging her. "Don't cry mum. It's time to be happy. You and Aunt Lisa are both having babies, but her's is gonna be a girl. Don't tell her I said so though, because she doesn't want to know."

Sniffling, Hermione laughed and said, "I won't say anything."

"I'm going to go get some breakfast," Lily said, switching gears as quickly as any other normal five year old does.

Harry watched her run out of their room and took her place next to Hermione. Caressing her cheek with his hand, he said, "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Happy Valentine's Day," she replied. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she could feel Harry's eyes boring into her and she looked up at him and asked, "What is it?"

"Lily said that Luna told her a baby was something you've always wanted," he stated carefully. "Was that with..."

"Brian? Yes, we had talked about starting a family right after we were married," she replied quietly. "But obviously it wasn't meant to be with him...it was your baby that I was supposed to carry, not his."

"I thought you didn't believe in divination?" he asked.

"I don't," she replied. "But I believe in Fate and Destiny, and obviously this is our destiny."

"How about we go down and tell everyone the good news, if Lily hasn't already?"

"Sounds great," Hermione replied. "Just please don't ask me to eat anything."

The following months were...well, the only word Harry could think of was interesting. With Lisa and Cole's wedding in June and then having two pregnant women about in the middle of a sweltering summer the likes of none other was not an easy task. Thank Merlin for cooling charms. Of course both Lisa and Hermione felt that they could do all the things they could do before, but finally Harry and Cole had to step in and take over, making them lay down to rest. Since Lisa was due on August seventh, she was bigger than Hermione but not by much since everyone but her knew that she was carrying a girl (Cole wanted to know, she didn't, so she closed her eyes while the midwife performed the charm). If you compared the two, you'd think that Hermione was due before Lisa, which didn't make Hermione very happy on the days when her hormones were running rampant. Every other day, she was her sweet, loving self to Harry's relief.

August first came around and Cole came running into the main house at six that night. When Harry and Hermione saw the worried look on his face, Harry asked, "Cole, what's wrong?"

"Lisa's water has broken," he said. "She seems really scared, and I'm not sure what to do to help her."

"Bring her in here," Hermione said immediately. "Carry her over and take her upstairs to my old room. I've converted it into a birthing room, and I told her if she couldn't make it or didn't want to go to Hospital she could use it."

Nodding quickly, Cole ran from the house and Hermione turned to Harry. "Would you please floo the midwife and ask her to come straightaway?"

"Of course," he replied, bending down to kiss her quickly before making his way into his office

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself, knowing that whatever she felt the baby felt. She promised Lisa that she would be there for her, with Lisa making the same promise in return. As she slowly climbed up the stairs, leaning onto the railing since she was almost in her ninth month, she saw James come out of his room. When he saw the look on her face he asked, "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine. It's just that your Aunt Lisa is having her baby," she replied, smiling at him as she finally reached the top.

When he saw Cole come rushing through the front door with Lisa in his arms, James asked, "Is she having it here?"

"Yes she is," Hermione replied.

"I'll be in my room," he said, and turned to go back into his room, causing her to laugh at the uncomfortable look that had crossed his face.

Lily, on the other hand, came bouncing out of her room. "Auntie Lisa is having the baby?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes," Hermione answered.

"Now?" Lily asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Well, not right away, but probably sometime tonight, yes," Hermione replied to the girl's rapid fire questions.

"So I won't get to see?" she asked, sounding suddenly disappointed.

"It's better if you don't watch Pumpkin," Harry said, coming up the stairs to stand next to Hermione. As he rubbed his hand lovingly over her stomach, he could feel the baby move under his hand and smiled. "You'll get to see her in the morning," he whispered so that Lisa wouldn't hear, knowing that it wouldn't appease his all too curious daughter.

"Alright," Lily replied dejectedly. Giving both of them hugs and kisses goodnight, she made her way back to her room, looking for all intents and purposes as if she had just lost her best friend.

"Any sign of James yet?" Harry asked.

"Oh yes," Hermione replied with a smile. "He hightailed it right back into his room."

Laughing, Harry said, "I didn't think he'd stick around." Turning around at the sound of someone coming up the stairs, he turned to see the midwife he had flooed making her way up the stairs toward them. Pointing out the room, they stood watching as she went in and a minute later Cole came out.

"Hermione, it seems she'd rather have you in there," Cole said. "Seems my nervousness isn't helping her situation any."

"I understand completely," Harry said, slapping his friend on the back in a manly gesture of friendship. "I was the same way when Luna had James. Why don't we go down to my office and have a drink? It may be a very long night."

"Sounds good to me," Cole said, looking quickly toward the room, his wife's scream echoing through the hallway. "Let's go get that drink now."

Ten hours later, Emily Rose Jamison made her entry into the world kicking and screaming. Cole had been inside the room with Lisa the final hour, much calmer than when her labour had started, and once Emily was checked, cleaned, and swaddled, he got to hold her for the first time. "Hello, my little angel," he whispered softly as he bent down to kiss her forehead gently. Walking out into the hallway where Harry and Hermione were waiting, he lifted Emily just enough so that they could see her face clearly and said, "I'd like you to meet Emily Rose."

Hermione's eyes swelled with tears when she saw him holding the tiny moving bundle in his arms. Looking up at him she asked, "Can I hold her?"

"Absolutely," he said, still smiling proudly.

While he accepted congratulations from Harry, Hermione held Emily in her arms and was amazed at how tiny she was. She had never been a nanny to a family with a child younger than a year old, so holding the newborn in her arms was something wonderfully new. Just as she reached a finger up to gently caress Emily's cheek, the baby kicked hard in her stomach, making her laugh. When the men looked toward her she pointed toward her stomach and said, "It seems someone is already jealous."

Handing Emily back to Cole, Harry and Hermione watched as Cole walked back into Lisa's room and Hermione looked whistfully at Harry. "Just think," she said, "In just six weeks, that's going to be us."

"Yes it is," Harry replied, kissing her tenderly while he led her to their room to try and convince her to sleep since she had been up all night long, helping Lisa when she needed it. He was glad when she gratefully crawled into bed without any argument and snuggled underneath the covers, falling asleep after a short time.

The following day, after Hermione had slept the rest of the day and through the night, the midwife returned to check on mother and baby. Since both Lisa and Emily were doing well, the midwife said that Cole could move them back into the guest house. After thanking Hermione profusely for all of her help with tears in her eyes (new moms can be very emotional) Lisa let Cole help her down the stairs while Harry carried Emily behind them. "I need the practice you know," he'd said. "I haven't held a newborn for five years now."

Smiling as she watched him carry Emily ever-so-carefully, the midwife walked up to her and asked, "While I'm here, why don't I go ahead and examine you to make sure that you and your baby are doing fine, Mrs. Potter?"

"That would be fine," Hermione said, leading the nurse into their bedroom. While in the midst of the examination, Harry walked in and got a worried look on his face when he saw the midwife examining Hermione.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, a note of worry in his voice as well.

"Everything's fine," the midwife said.

"She offered to examine me while she was here to make sure the baby and I are doing okay," Hermione replied, smiling at him, hopefully putting him at ease.

"Some of her magical levels are a little off, but that's normal this advanced into the pregnancy. I'd suggest not doing any more magic until after you deliver."

Harry watched as the midwife finished the exam and helped Hermione sit up on the bed. "It looks like everything else is right on schedule. I'll be back next week to check you again."

After thanking her, they made their way into the kitchen to get something to eat. Harry pulled a chair out for Hermione, indicating for her to sit down, making his point that he would take care of dinner. As she watched him gather together the pans and food he would need she gasped as the baby suddenly kicked her really hard in the side again. Quickly looking back at her, Harry asked, "Alright then?"

"I swear he's going to be a football player," she replied, trying to make light of things.

"There's no way he'll be a footballer," Harry replied with a cocky smile. "He's a Potter, and Potter's are known for their Quidditch prowess."

"Then please tell him that so that he'll stop practicing his game winning kicks against the inside of my stomach."

The following six weeks were once again peaceful after Emily's arrival into the world...well, for everyone but Harry, that is. As Hermione got closer to her due date and stomach grew bigger and bigger, she became a bit...dare he say it? Insufferable. Due to her very swollen stomach and the discomfort brought on by the baby dropping lower into the birth canal as he prepared to make his entrance into the world, Hermione wasn't sleeping much due to not being able to get comfortable enough to drift off to sleep and she often woke Harry up so that she would have someone to talk to in the wee hours of the morning.

Her due date passed uneventful, as well as the next two days. Finally her twenty-seventh birthday arrived, finding her grouchy and snappish thanks to being three days overdue. In the hopes of raising her spirits, Harry had planned a small family gathering for dinner that night to celebrate, even making sure that her parents would be there. That morning, floating a tray full of her favorite breakfast foods in front of him, he opened the door to their room to surprise her with breakfast in bed. To his surprise, he found her sitting up in bed already, hunched over and clutching her stomach with a look of pure pain etched onto her face.

Letting the tray fall to the floor, Harry rushed over to her side and asked, "Hermione, luv, what's wrong? Is it the baby?"

"I-It's time," she panted, looking up at him with tear filled eyes. "I think I'm in labour."

"I'll go get the midwife," he said, running as fast as he could out of their room and down the stairs to his office. In what seemed like record time, he was racing back up the stairs with a very out of breath midwife behind him. Taking her into their bedroom, he watched as the midwife examined her quickly and said, "She's definitely in labour. We'll need to move her into the other room."

"No!" Hermione said adamantly. "I want to stay here, in my own bed." Looking pleadingly at Harry she said, "I don't want to go into the other room. Please."

Sitting next to her and placing his hands on her cheeks, which felt as if they were on fire, he said, "You can have whatever you want luv. Whatever makes you comfortable."

"But..." the midwife started, and whatever she was about to say died on her lips at the look that Harry gave her.

"We'll just move everything in here," he said, taking charge. "We'll be right back luv."

As he and the midwife made their way to the birthing room Hermione had set up and Lisa had used, Harry said, "Midwife Goodwin, her face felt like it was on fire when I touched her."

"That's because she has a fever Mr. Potter, which means that an infection has set in," Midwife Goodwin replied. "We need to get everything set up as quickly as possible...I fear Mrs. Potter is in for a very rough labour and delivery."

Harry's blood ran ice cold at the concern he picked up in the midwife's tone and he quickly gathered together everything they would need that the midwife couldn't carry herself. Placing everything where it needed to be in the room, the midwife made quick work of finding out where the infection was as Harry made his way to the opposite side of Hermione on the bed so that he wasn't in the way. As the midwife waved her wand over Hermione, who kept crying out every time a contraction hit she looked at Harry shaking her head and said, "This isn't a fever due to infection. Her body is being overloaded by the magic from the baby and it's causing her body temperature to rise rapidly."

"W-What do we do?" Harry asked, showing one of his rare moments of true fear.

"May I use your floo?" Midwife Goodwin asked, and Harry immediately nodded his head yes. Faster than he'd ever seen her move before, she made her way out of the room and down the stairs.

Smoothing her sweat soaked hair from her burning hot forehead Harry said, "Hang in there luv, she's getting help now."

"But the baby," Hermione said. "Harry, promise me you'll make sure the baby is okay."

Harry was stricken speechless for a moment before he gathered his wits together, kissed her lips and said, "Of course he'll be okay, and so will you."

"I mean if it comes down to a choice," she whimpered. "Make sure he makes it, okay?"

"Don't talk like that," Harry said. "You are BOTH going to be okay."

Just at that moment, Midwife Goodwin rushed into the room with Madam Pomfrey and Lisa in tow. Lisa looked from Harry's face to the nurses concerned expressions and she placed her hand over her mouth in concern. When she heard Lily's door open down the hall a ways, she walked out while closing the door behind her, cast a silencing charm on the room, and made her way down there hurriedly to make sure that neither she nor James saw Hermione in the condition she was in at the moment.

As Madam Pomfrey and Midwife Goodwin talked amongst one another Harry said, "Will one of you please tell me what's wrong with my wife?"

Looking at each other for a moment, Madam Pomfrey took the lead and explained, "Mr. Potter, everyone knows what a powerful wizard you are and that your body contains a lot of magic within it, at least double that of a normal wizard. When Luna carried your first two children it didn't affect her so much because she was pureblood and her body could handle the amount of magic the baby put forth while being born because she herself contained quite a bit of magical power. Unfortunately, Hermione is muggleborn, so her body is not used to such strong magic coursing through it and it may...shut down her system."

"What?" Harry asked, trying to take in all the information the nurse had just given him and understand it. Light dawned in his eyes as he realized what she had meant by her last sentence and he looked at Hermione. When he saw her staring back he asked, "You knew already, didn't you?"

"Yes, I knew that there was a risk, but it wasn't a foregone conclusion," she replied, crying out again as another contraction racked her body.

"Do something!" Harry yelled, desperate for her not to suffer. "There must be something you can do?"

Madam Pomfrey thought for a moment and said, "I will be back as soon as I can. There may be one thing that can help her through this."

Harry watched helplessly as she walked out of the room and vaguely heard the midwife ask, "Mr. Potter? Will you please help me roll her onto her side, preferably facing you?"

Being as gentle as he could, he pulled her around so that she was facing him and he could hardly bear the look of pain and fear that was on her face at that moment. "You're going to be okay," he said, trying to sound assuring even though he himself didn't feel very confident at that moment.

"I'm not worried about myself, I already told you that. I want you to make sure our son is okay."

"Hermione, I can't let you..."

"Yes, you can. If I'm meant to come through this, I will. If not, then it's my Destiny."

"I don't give a damn about destiny and fate!" Harry said sharply. Taking a deep, calming breath he said, "I love you Hermione, and may the Gods forgive me, but I know deep in my heart that you are the one I was meant to be with. I loved Luna, and because of that I was blessed with James and Lily, but if I lose you...I just can't. Our life together has just started, you can't leave me now. I don't think I could survive losing you."

Before any more could be said, Madam Pomfrey bustled back into the room with a dark figure behind her and Harry sat up quickly, his eyes narrowing to slits. "What the hell is he doing in my home?!" he growled angrily.

"I may just be saving your wife Potter, so I'd watch your tone if I were you," sneered Severus Snape as he walked up to the bed. "I have a potion that will double her magical levels just long enough for her to deliver."

"Like hell she'll be taking any potion that you've made, for all I know you're here to poison her or hurt my unborn son," Harry said fiercely, getting off of the bed to stand face-to-face with his hated ex-Potions Professor.

"Oh yay, another Potter in the world to play hero," Snape sneered down at him with hatred glittering in his eyes. Shoving the vial into his most hated student's hands he said, "Give it to her, don't give it to her, but if she dies her death will be on your hands, not mine."

"Ahhh!" Hermione screamed as Snape walked out of the room, never once looking back. "He's coming! I can feel something coming out!"

Madam Pomfrey gave Harry a grave, serious look and said, "Mr. Potter, she needs that potion now."

Torn by whether to trust his most hated enemy or trying to save the love of his life, there really was no choice. As the nurse was rolling Hermione onto her back once again he walked up to her, gently tilted her head up and said, "Drink this."

He watched as she swallowed the yellowish-colored liquid and made a face afterward. Crying out again, Madam Pomfrey peeked between her legs and said, "The head is crowning."

Harry was awestruck by what he saw, and worried sick about Hermione's well being at the same time. If she didn't survive and he found out that Snape had his evil hand in it he would hunt him down and kill the smarmy bastard with his own bare hands. "Madam Pomfrey," Midwife Goodwin said, pulling him from his thoughts. "Her temperature is dropping."

Feeling a little bit of relief with that statement, Harry walked over so that he could be by Hermione's side and helped to hold her head up as she worked to push the baby out. With one final, strangled cry Madam Pomfrey pulled the baby free of her and went to work on him to be sure he was okay while the midwife monitored Hermione. When Hermione cried out again suddenly Harry, the midwife, and the nurse all looked at her quickly. When Midwife Goodwin checked her again she said, "Oh my, it seems there's another baby."

"What?" Harry asked, shocked. When he looked down at Hermione he could see his shock mirrored on her face.

Carefully handing the baby to the midwife, Madam Pomfrey looked at Hermione and said, "Push again, as hard as you can."

Seven more pushes later, their daughter came into the world as well, just fifteen minutes after her brother. When Hermione collapsed back against the pillow Harry looked down at her in concern and with her eyes closed she said, "I'm okay Harry, just really, really tired."

"I can imagine," he said smiling, and then bent down to place a gentle kiss on her lips. Looking over to where the nurse and midwife were examining their baby boy and girl Harry said in awe, "We have a boy and a girl. Twins. I can't believe it."

"I can't either," mumbled Hermione sleepily. When I become coherent again someone owes me one hell of an explanation." Harry, unused to her swearing, laughed quietly at her statement.

"Just rest now luv. I'll make sure the babies are okay, I promise."

"I know you would never let anything happen to them," she said, barely opening her eyes to look at him with the slightest of smiles on her face. "I love you."

"I love you too. Now rest." And he watched the love of his life fall fast asleep, feeling happier than he ever thought was possible after all the heartache he'd experienced in his life, the last being the loss of Luna. Looking around the room, it was as if he could sense her presence watching over them, and as quietly as he could he whispered, "Thank you for watching over us." And with what felt like a phantom kiss on his cheek, the feeling of her being there disappeared as quickly as the realization that she was there to begin with.

Eight hours later, Hermione began to stir from the deep slumber she had been in and memories of what had occurred that morning came rushing into her thoughts and her eyes opened wide. When she took in the sight before her she couldn't help but smile the biggest smile of her life. Someone, probably Harry, had conjured two rocking chairs across from the bed, and in one sat James while in the other sat Lily. By the colors of the blankets, James was holding their son and Lily was ever-so-carefully holding onto her new little sister. Looking up, Lily exclaimed, "Mummy, it's a boy and a girl!"

"I know," she replied, her voice sounding scratchy. Harry walked over and knelt down next to her, directing a straw into her mouth so that she could drink some water.

"Congratulations honey!" came her Mum's voice, causing Hermione to look around the room. It seemed the midwife and nurse were gone now, but Lisa, Cole, Emily, Lily, James, her parents, and Harry were all there, watching her. And when she took in the appearance of the room her smile grew wider, if that were possible. Along with balloons and floating signs that read "Congratulations" were more balloons and signs that read "Happy Birthday Hermione!"

"I completely forgot it was my birthday," she said with a quiet laugh.

"That's no surprise after what you went through this morning," Harry replied. "It seems we'll have three birthdays to celebrate on September 19th from now on."

Handing Emily to Cole, Lisa walked over to James and took the baby from him while Harry did the same with Lily. As Hermione gingerly sat up and her parents piled the pillows behind her, Lisa placed their son in one arm while Harry settled their daughter into the other. As she sat there, looking from one beautiful, tiny face to the other, her eyes welled up with tears at the sheer happiness she was feeling. Looking around at everyone Lisa said, "Why don't we give them some time alone together?"

When she saw Lily and James go to follow the adults out of the room Hermione called, "James, Lily, why don't you stay here with your Dad and I?"

Their faces lit up like it was Christmas morning all over again as they walked back to the bed and crawled onto it causing Harry to caution, "Be careful not to move too much, your Mum is a bit sore right now."

James stopped where he was, next to his Dad, but Lily carefully crept up so that she was sitting right next to Hermione and said, "Mum only told me that there'd be a baby boy in my dream. I wonder why she didn't mention that I would get a sister too?"

"I don't know pumpkin," Harry replied honestly. "Maybe she wanted you to be surprised too."

"I know I was," Hermione said, smiling down lovingly at Lily. "Now we just need to give them names."

"My little brother is supposed to be named Harrison Jacob Potter," Lily stated, making the three of them turn to her.

"What do you mean he's supposed to be named that?" Harry asked.

Hermione, Harry, and James all stared at her in disbelief as she continued on, "Um, Mum just said that Hermione's baby was to be named Harrison Jacob Potter because it was his destiny...whatever that is."

Hermione looked to Harry to see what his reaction was, and she could practically see the wheels turning in his mind as he thought it over. Clearing her throat to get his attention she said, "I do kind of like the sound of it myself. If you don't mind, that is?"

"No...no I don't think I mind at all," he replied, surprising her a little bit. He had a look on his face as if he wanted to say more, but obviously it was something he didn't want to say in front of Lily and James. Smiling he said, "So now that Harrison has a name, what about our baby girl?"

"Don't look at me," Lily said, "I didn't even know about her."

Harry and Hermione laughed at the way she held up her hands as she said this and then Hermione looked down at her daughter who was sleeping peacefully. Taking in her delicate features she thought of something and looking at Harry asked, "Have they opened their eyes at all yet?"

"Yes," he said smiling. "They both have my eyes and your hair."

Staring at her daughter some more Hermione replied, "I believe her name should be Emma Jane Potter."

"What a pretty name," Lily said right away. "I like it."

"I do too," Harry said. "So, we have Harrison Jacob and Emma Jane Potter."

"Can James and I go tell everyone?" Lily asked excitedly.

"You sure can," Harry replied, watching her scamper off the bed, completely forgetting his warning to move slowly.

James stood up, but instead of going toward the door he walked closer to Hermione and bending down, he carefully wrapped his arms around her neck. Feeling like the most loved, luckiest woman in the world at that moment he made it even better when he said, "I love you Mum, and I love Harrison and Emma too."

"I love you too James," Hermione replied, her eyes shining bright. "And I know you're going to be a wonderful big brother."

With his cheeks turning pink with embarrassment, he just gave a quick nod of his head and made his way out the door to join Lily. Finally alone with the newest additions to their family Harry carefully lifted Harrison from her arm and held him. As she shifted Emma and cradled her in her arms she looked at Harry and said, "It's been a bit of a scary day, hasn't it?"

"It has," he replied, looking at her as Harrison stretched in his arms. Staring at her he said, "You had me right worried there for a while, I thought I was going to lose you too."

"I don't really remember all of what happened," she replied. "I do remember a strange man dressed in black walking in though."

"That was my old Potions Professor from Hogwarts, Severus Snape. We hated each other throughout my school years, I used to wonder what side he was really on, good or evil, and I still think he's evil. But after the war I saved him from going to Azkaban and today he paid his debt to me by saving your life. Now we're even and I'll hopefully never have to see him again."

They became quiet for a while, entranced by their new son and daughter, until Harry said, "She was here, you know."

"Who was here?" Hermione asked.

"Luna," he replied, hoping he wasn't hurting her feelings by bringing up his deceased wife on such a happy day. "After the babies had been delivered and I knew the three of you were going to be alright, I could feel her presence in the room. I can't explain it really, it was as if I suddenly knew that everything was going to be okay from here on out, and that she had helped protect you."

"She was here," Hermione replied, surprising him. "While I was pushing Harrison out it felt like a whisper's touch of a hand on my stomach, and it felt warm and painless, and when I looked down there wasn't anything there. I could feel it until right after I had pushed Emma out. Then right before I drifted off to sleep, I saw this strange mist in front of my eyes and in my head I could hear this soft, feminine voice say, 'Sleep now, they're all going to be okay...you'll be okay. I'll always be watching over you' and then it was gone."

"I knew she had the gift of sight," Harry said, and at Hermione's skeptical look he said, "I know you don't believe it, but I do. She knew about things that were going to happen before they happened. She just didn't tell me everything. But obviously she foresaw you and I, and this day, and knew that this was what fate had in store for her...and for us."

"She made the ultimate sacrifice, just like I was prepared to do today," she replied. "I guess I can understand her a little better now."

Sitting quietly once more, pondering the wonders and surprises of life, Harry carefully leaned in and kissed her lovingly. "Thank you so much for giving me these two precious gifts."

"And just think," she said with a teasing smile on her face, "we both got special presents, and it's my birthday."


End file.
